The mystery of police firing on farmers in Mandsaur

The Madhya Pradesh bandh call on Wednesday in support of farmers’ agitation evoked a mixed reaction. Violence was reported from Dewas, Ujjain, Neemuch, Sehore and Mandsaur. Several vehicles were set on fire and public transport vandalised. Curfew continued in Mandsaur and Piplia Mandi, where internet services also remained suspended.

Internet and mobile internet services were banned in the region, while Section 144 was imposed in adjacent areas. All entry points in the city have been barricaded and policing has been stepped up.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday increased the compensation for victims of Tuesday’s police firing to ₹1 crore and ordered a judicial inquiry into the incident. He has also offered a job each to a family member. On Tuesday, the state’s Agriculture Minister Gauri Shankar Bisen had denied firing by the police and alleged that miscreants had opened fire on the farmers. But, on Wednesday, the District Collector of Mandsaur admitted that the police had indeed opened fire, although no magistrate had given the order.

The state government and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) went all out to blame the Opposition Congress for ‘instigating’ the farmers. And officials let it be known that Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi, who plans to attend the funeral of some of the deceased in Mandsaur on Thursday, would not be allowed to do so. While a large number of cases were registered against local Congressmen by the police, one of the Congress leaders Jitu Patwari tweeted a video which showed policemen engaging in vandalism of vehicles.

The farmers’ strike spread to neighbouring districts from Mandsaur. In Sonkachha (Devas), six chartered buses were set on fire by protesters. People stopped trains in Devas while Indore, Ujjain and other part of Malwa region also reported stray violence.

Demonetisation blamed for farmers’ distress

A farmer in Mandsaur blamed demonetisation for the current situation. It had not only caused farmers hardship, it also destroyed the cycle of farming and trading in the region, he claimed.

Who opened fire farmers in Mandsaur? Conflicting versions from the and BJP govt add to the confusion ted to lowering prices, he conceded.

Opium belt: rich smugglers, poor farmers

Worldwide known for opium production, Mandsaur has also been hit by poor governance, complain farmers. Not only vegetable-growers and cultivators of foodgrains have passed through a crisis, but farmers engaged in opium production have also been at loggerheads with the State Government.

A farmer-cum-political activist told National Herald that people associated with the BJP and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have established a monopoly in the business of opium over the years. With the active support of the BJP government, illegal trading of opium has flourished in the area. Opium grown here is sold at high prices in the international market but the farmers involved in the cultivation remain poor, explained Somil Nahta, even as smugglers and illegal traders flourish.