Mandsaur: At-least six farmers killed during protest march after police openly fired upon them, while several others injured on Tuesday in Mandsaur district of Madhya Pradesh.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan ordered a judicial probe after holding a meeting with senior civil and police officers. Mandsaur city and Piplya Mandi area were put under curfew after violence.
The state government also announced Rs 10 lakh compensation to the kinfolk of each of the killed farmers.
Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor Sangh Chairman Shivkumar Sharma identified the dead as Bablu Patidar, Sarender Patidar, Kanhaiya, Satyanarayan, and Akhilesh, who is said to be a college student.
After the police firing, protestors became more violent and set a number of vehicles on fire. Even though authorities clamped a curfew in the area, mobs of protestors were on the roads indulging in combustible.
CM Chouhan blamed the Congress for the violence by farmers while Congress state unit President Arun Yadav and Leader of Opposition Ajay Singh dubbed it as failure of the government.
The Congress said it has formed a panel of MLAs to probe the Mandsaur violence.
Earlier, Home Minister Bhupendra Singh told reporters that not the police but anti-social elements who mingled with the crowds opened fire at the farmers, who are demanding loan waiver and fair prices for their produce.
However, eyewitnesses said a clash between the District Magistrate Swatantra Singh and farmers was followed by stone-pelting from both the sides later on DM manages to escape from the spot.
However, eyewitnesses said a clash between the police and farmers was followed by stone-pelting from both sides and firing by the police.
Earlier “on Monday night, farmers stationed near the Dalauda police station came out on the roads to protest and vandalised a railway crossing. They also tried to damage the rail track. However, train services on the route were not affected,” Mandsaur Police Superintendent O.P. Tripathi told media
Though the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh has called off its strike, other farmer organizations have continued the agitation.
