LIVE UPDATES FROM MANDSAUR
- Police moved in to stop Gandhi as he defied elaborate security arrangements and tried to force his way into the state from Naya Gaon in Neemuch, about 400 km from the state capital Bhopal.
- Surging crowds of Congress supporters followed him, shouting slogans like "Jai Jawaan, Jai Kisaan" and "Rahul Gandhi zindabad".
- Postmortem report of farmers killed in Mandsaur firing handed over to the inquiry committee, marks of bullets found on bodies.
- Rahul Gandhi left this morning for the district and would enter Madhya Pradesh from Rajasthan.
- However, Superintendent of Police of Neemuch Manoj Kumar Singh said the Congress leader will not be allowed to enter the violence-hit district where the situation remains tense.
- If the Congress leader tries to enter the district, he will be detained, the SP said
- Two companies of RAF have been posted in Garoth area in the district, another two have been deployed along the Mwoh-Neemuch Highway to prevent any untoward incidents
- Two companies of RAF, comprising around 100 men each, have moved into Pipliamandi in Mandsaur, the site of Tuesday's shooting of five farmers
- Contingents of Rapid Action Force (RAF) were today deployed in violence-hit Mandsaur
- Mandsaur Collector Swatantra Kumar Singh is transferred as deputy secretary Mantralaya
- The government also transferred Mandsaur SP, OP Tripathi and posted Manoj Kumar Singh in place of him
- Widespread violence, including several incidents of arson, were reported from western Madhya Pradesh, especially Mandsaur and Dewas districts, yesterday on the seventh day of farmers' agitation
- The Centre rushed 1,100 anti-riots police personnel to Mandsaur district where five persons were killed allegedly in police firing
- The Congress vice-president was supposed to reach Mandsaur on Wednesday but was allegedly denied permission to land by the district administration
"Rahul Gandhi wanted to visit the deceased farmers' village to take part in the funerals, but the administration didn't permit it," AICC general secretary Mohan Prakash said.
Asked if Rahul had got permission to visit the affected district, a senior Congress leader said: "It is sad that someone who wants to stand by the distressed farmers is being vilified and stopped. But Rahul doesn't need permission to meet the victims and their families. He will be there tomorrow morning."
Rahul had tweeted on Tuesday: "This Government is at war with the farmers of our country. In BJP's new India, those who feed us get bullets if they ask for their rights."
The Congress has extended support to the farmers' agitation in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra over loan write-offs and minimum support price for the produce, prompting the BJP to accuse it of plotting the unrest.
The BJP government in Madhya Pradesh has announced a loan-settlement scheme which it said will cover around six lakh farmers with accumulated dues of Rs 6,000 crore.
The government is contemplating a formula wherein it may waive interest on crop loans. Also, an Agricultural Costs and Marketing Commission to ensure better prices for farm produce would be set up, minister Archana Chitnis said after attending a meeting chaired by chief minister Chouhan.
Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said: "The unrest is not restricted to Mandsaur; farmers are in distress in the entire country. The heartless BJP is responding to their struggle with bullets; the central government is acting like a curse of death for the farmers."
The Congress on Wednesday released a booklet detailing the "crisis" in agriculture.
Singhvi said: "The government initially denied police firing. It would have been amusing had it not been tragic. It is like twisting the knife into the wound. The Prime Minister, who talks about everything, today tweeted on yoga postures but did not utter a word on the killing of farmers. Thirty-five farmers commit suicide every day and the government is busy throttling their voice. The Internet is banned to stop communication. This is the most insensitive government."
Singhvi gave details of the agrarian crisis in the country and highlighted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had gone back on his promise of paying input cost plus 50 per cent profit to farmers.
Responding to the Madhya Pradesh government's decision to order a judicial probe into the alleged firing, Singhvi said: "This is just an eyewash. We want to know what happened to the commission formed in 2006 in the Datia (murder) case? No report yet. Same in the 2012 Raisen firing case, no report. In the Jhabua (gas cylinder blast) too, when 90 people lost their lives, there was a commission. Where is the report?"
Other Congress leaders also objected to the Madhya Pradesh BJP government's initial denial of Tuesday's firing.
Veteran leader Digvijaya Singh said: "Did the farmers fire at each other? There is a limit to making stupid statements."
Jyotiraditya Scindia said: "Nothing can be more shameful. The government, which is blinded by power, is blaming the Congress for the barbaric attack!"
Senior Congress leader Kamal Nath took strong exception to chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan increasing the compensation amount for the deceased's families to Rs 1 crore each.
"Laashon par boli lagayi ja rahi hai, sharm ki baat hai. 5 lakh, 10 lakh, 1 crore ki baat kari (Prices are being put on corpses, this is a shame. They are talking of paying Rs 5 lakh, Rs 10 lakh, Rs 1 crore)," Nath, a nine-time Lok Sabha MP from Madhya Pradesh, said.
He extended full support to the agitating farmers, describing their demands as just and legitimate.