Madhya Pradesh Government Struggles To Restore Normalcy In Violence-Hit Areas

Authorities struggled to restore normalcy in violence-hit western Madhya Pradesh even as Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday made an attempt to reach the epicentre of the farmers' agitation, Mandsaur, which was scuttled as he was detained before entering the district.

Gandhi travelled by air, by car, by motorcyle and by foot from Delhi to Neemuch district of Madhya Pradesh via Rajasthan before he was detained and arrested in Naya Gaon, about 70 km from Mandsaur.

He slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the problems being faced by the farmers, evoking a sharp response from the BJP which termed his visit to Mandsaur as a "photo opportunity".

Amid the increasing political slugfest, the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government, which is facing a major crisis, shunted out the collector and superintendent of police of Mandsaur district, two days after five farmers were killed in police firing during a violent protest.

A police inspector, who had allegedly fired at the protestors on Tuesday, was also removed from field duty and sent to police lines.

Besides Mandsaur, violence had also hit Dewas, Neemuch, Ujjain districts and some other parts of western Madhya Pradesh.

This morning, Rapid Action Force (RAF), the anti-riot paramilitary force rushed by the Centre, was deployed in Mandsaur, the epicentre of the eight-day-old farmers' agitation for debt relief and better crop price. The Centre had rushed 1,100 personnel of the RAF to the violence-hit state on Wednesday.

While two companies of the RAF, each comprising 100 personnel, were deployed in Pipliamandi in Mandsaur, where the five farmers were killed, another two were posted in Garoth. Two RAF companies were deployed along the highway.

Contingents of the CRPF have also been deployed.

Curfew, imposed on Wednesday after escalating violence, was relaxed for two hours from 4 pm, as officials said the situation appeared to be improving. The police, however, said some areas were still tense.

"For the last two to three days, farmers were stopping vehicles and setting them on fire," Divisional Commissioner MB Ojha told PTI.

Burnt vehicles were removed from the Mhow-Neemuch highway on Thursday, and traffic had resumed, police said. Seven cases have been lodged and 62 people detained in connection with the violence.

The state's Home Minister Bhupendra Singh told PTI that the five farmers had been killed in police firing, a remark that assumes significance as the authorities had earlier claimed the police did not fire during the protests.

He said Pipliamandi Town Inspector Anil Singh Thakur, who had allegedly fired at the farmers causing casualties, had been removed from field duty and sent to the Mandsaur police lines.

To bring back normalcy, the Chief Minister made a fresh attempt to reach out to the agitating farmers, saying the state government was open for a dialogue to iron out the differences and once again appealed them to maintain peace. Appealing to the farmers to maintain calm, he said, "Only talks can end the differences."