After Wednesday’s large scale rioting and violence by agitating farmers, the situation in Mandsaur and neighbouring districts in western Madhya Pradesh was slowly improving amid heavy deployment of the State police and the anti-riot Rapid Action Force (RAF). The Shivraj Singh Chauhan government shunted out the district collectors of Mandsaur, Neemuch and Ratlam and also the police superintendent of Mandsaur, the epicentre of the agitation that turned violent. In its report to the Home Ministry, the State government admitted that the five farmers who were killed on June 6 during the protests indeed died in police firing.
On Thursday, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and others were detained for several hours by the police when they tried to enter Mandsaur district where the five protesters were killed, triggering violence in the Malwa region. The farmers have been agitating since June 1, demanding higher price for their produce. Mr. Gandhi and other senior leaders Digvijay Singh, Kamal Nath, Sachin Pilot and Janata Dal (United) leader Sharad Yadav had come to meet the families of those killed.
The administration imposed curfew in Mandsaur and Neemuch districts before the arrival of the Opposition leaders while mobile-based internet services remained suspended in five districts since Tuesday. The State Home Minister Bhupendra Singh also admitted in Bhopal that the five farmers fell to police bullets. However, he blamed the district collector and police chief for failing to control the situation.
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High drama
In Naya Gaon, 70 km from Mandsaur, there was high drama as the police tried to stop what had turned into a political rally of sorts with Mr. Gandhi accompanied by other leaders, seeking to enter the State from the Rajasthan border. Mr. Gandhi slammed the NDA government at the Centre and the BJP government in the State for their “anti-farmer policies.”
“He [Modi] can’t waive off farmers’ loans, can’t give better prices for their produce but can only give bullets,” Mr. Gandhi said, holding the PM and CM responsible for the killing of the five farmers.
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Mr. Gandhi and the other leaders were released after a four-hour detention at a cement company’s house near Naya Gaon.
Agrarian distress
Mr. Sharad Yadav also lambasted the NDA government for the agrarian distress and unrest in several parts of the country. “Ever since this government came to power in 2014, it has ruined the agrarian and rural economy. Today, farmers are in distress across the country,” Mr. Yadav said as he was being detained and taken into a police.
In its report submitted to the Centre, the Madhya Pradesh government said the protesting farmers, demanding loan waiver, had allegedly set ablaze 25 trucks and two police vans along the Mhow-Neemuch highway on June 6.
The police tried to control the mob with a lathicharge and then by lobbing tear gas shells, the report said.
However, the report said, when the farmers continued with the “violence, arson, vandalism and destruction of public property,” the police fired on them.
It said the violence had broken out in eight districts — Mandsaur, Dhar, Jhabua, Neemuch, Ratlam, Dewas, Shajapur and Sehore — and the State government was taking all possible steps to restore peace.
( With inputs from Vijaita Singh )