AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh has slammed the government over the death of a farmer in police firing in Raisen district on Monday and has demanded a judicial probe into the matter.
The former CM said Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan calls himself the son of a farmer but should be ashamed of the pathetic conditions of farmers in the State.
The shortage of jute bags to pack the State's bumper wheat harvest took an ugly turn on Monday, when a large gathering of farmers in Bareili (Raisen) led by the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh, an affiliate of the RSS, clashed with the police resulting in the death of a farmer and ex-sarpanch Harisingh from police firing on Monday evening.
State president of BKS Shivkumar Sharma, along with 35 other farmers, was arrested following the clash, which resulted in injuries to protesting farmers as well as Raisen district collector, SP and several other policemen.
CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced a cash assistance of Rs.2 lakh for the kin of the deceased farmer and ordered a high-level probe into the matter. He also told journalists that there were enough bags in Raisen and Bareili and farmers were being constantly incited by “some people”.
Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly Ajay Singh and State Congress president Kantilal Bhuria condemned the incident and demanded Mr. Chauhan's resignation.
“The CM has failed to protect the interests of the farmers of Madhya Pradesh and should resign. Farmers protesting wastage of their produce are being beaten up by police all over the State,” said Mr. Singh.
The National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM) also condemned Monday's incident.
