Mandsaur collector went to console dead farmers’ family, manhandled

The state Congress and the Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor Sangh have given a call for bandh across the state to protest the farmers’ death in Mandsaur.

Regarding Rahul’s visit to Mandsaur, Tomar said he should not politicise the farmers’ deaths. They had to beat a hasty retreat.

They claimed that the protesters were using firearms, thus leading to the deaths.

There were unconfirmed reports about three rounds being fired at Pipaliya Mandi area.

“There were few incidents of violation of the curfew orders but overall the situation is under control”, he said. They have also demanded the presence of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Internet services have been blocked for the region to clamp down on rumors that may spread through social media.

On Monday, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan assured that the government would purchase onions at Rs 8/kg and moong dal at an agreed price and to set up a Rs 1,000 crore stabilization fund.

“Those who do not want peace and prosperity in the state and cannot see the BJP government functioning smoothly are behind this incident”, Rural Development Minister Narender Singh Tomar said.

“Assistance in paying off outstanding principal and interest helps the money lenders, but has failed to create reliable and good sources of income for the farmer”, G.L. Parvathamma, associate professor of econommics at Bangalore University, wrote in a study a year ago.

The blaze started around 3 pm in the factory located around 10 kms from the district headquarters in the Kotwali police station limits, Additional Director General of Police (Balaghat range) G Janardhan told PTI. Singh, however, said there was no firing on protestors.

The officials tried to speak assuringly but the mood was ugly and someone from the crowd assaulted collector Swatantra Kumar.

The senior Congress leader who is also a member of Parliament from Chhindwara constituency, while demanding a probe in the incident said that the injustice is being done to farmers of the state. “The loan settlement scheme is meant for 30 per cent farmers, about 6 lakh in number, who have failed to repay this loan within stipulated time”, the minister said.

He said that the farmers from across the country were with the agitating peasants in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. They were stopped in the Dodar area on the Ratlam-Mandsaur border.

Earlier in the day, former Mandsaur MP Meenakshi Natrajan of the Congress was not allowed to go into the town.

Meanwhile, the Congress chief also held a meeting with all the vice-presidents of the party’s district units in Chandigarh.