Five farmers killed in MP as protests turn violent
The ongoing farmers’ agitation in Mandsaur district of Madhya Pradesh took a violent turn on Tuesday as five farmers were killed and several others injured in alleged police firing. Police, however, denied having opened fire on the protesting farmers, claiming that some anti-social elements were responsible for the deaths.
The state’s farmers have been protesting since June 1 to demand better prices in the drought-ravaged region that has one of the highest farmer suicide rates in the country.
The violence prompted the authorities to clamp curfew and shut down internet services in the trouble-hit area. Authorities said they wanted to prevent social media rumours from fanning further violence. There was confusion over the number of those killed and injured, but some sources said at least five people died because of the alleged firing. MP Home Minister Bhupendra Singh denied that the farmers died because of police firing. However, he confirmed five deaths, which he said, occurred in two separate incidents.
A magisterial inquiry has been ordered into the deaths, Mandsaur Collector SK Singh said adding that the police had categorically told him that they did not fire at the protesters.
Singh said, “Police have told me that neither did they fire nor did they …read more
