Madhya Pradesh Farmer Dies After Posting Video On 'Black Marketing' Of Fertilisers, Congress Cries Foul

The farmer, Bhagwat Kirar, had two bighas of land in Jhagar village under the Dharnawada police station in Guna district, over 200 kilometres from Bhopal. 

A farmer in the Guna district of Madhya Pradesh died shortly after sharing a video on social media where he claimed the black marketing of fertilisers in the state. 

The incident has led to a political war in Madhya Pradesh with the Congress alleging that the farmer died of anxiety over the black marketing of fertilisers and officials rejecting the claim of the deceased farmer.

The farmer, Bhagwat Kirar, had two bighas of land in Jhagar village under the Dharnawada police station in Guna district, over 200 kilometres from Bhopal. 

In a video, Kirar posted on Sunday, he alleged that some officials were involved in the black marketing of fertilisers.

"I am a small farmer. I have a small request from the government. I have a small portion of land... If the fertilisers are distributed on the basis of Aadhaar cards, then it is not possible for me to procure them. The big farmers would get the fertilisers. They buy it at the government rate of Rs 1400 and then they sell it to us for Rs 3,000," Bhagwat Kirar could be purportedly heard saying in the video.

"(I request) that the fertilisers should be distributed on the basis of the land available. The tehsildars and Patwaris are involved in the black marketing of fertiliser bags. What would the farmers do?" he questioned in the video.

The Congress shared a video of the deceased farmer and attacked the government for not making the fertilisers available to the farmers.

Congress' Umang Singhar, Leader of the opposition in the state assembly, sharing the video said, "Farmers are upset with the stubbornness of the government... The time for sowing wheat and gram has come, but the government is unable to arrange DAP for the farmers!"

The Guna administration, however, claimed that the deceased tiller was a habitual drinker undergoing treatment for an illness. The authorities rejected the claims that there is a shortage of DAP fertilisers in Madhya Pradesh.

The Congress leader further alleged that the farmer died as he was anxious about getting fertilisers. He alleged that officers do not understand the problems of agriculturists. 

"It is also alleged that fertilisers are sold in the black market, however, the administration has failed to curb this practice," the Congress leader alleged and called for CM Mohan Yadav's intervention.

The Guna district administration, in an official release, said that the video was shot before Kirar's death on November 17. His family members told police that he was not keeping good health for a long time and was undergoing treatment. If further said that Kirar's medical examination in Indore's Gokuldas Hospital on November 13 showed a blood clot in his brain and doctors advised him of surgery. 

"Kirar's family members, however, said they would get him operated later, the release claimed, adding that the deceased was a habitual drinker. On the night of November 17, he complained of chest pains and was rushed to a hospital in Guna where doctors declared him dead. There was no shortage of DAP fertilisers in Madhya Pradesh. The supply is as per demand," the release stated.