One more farmer dies as protests intensify

farmer who was reportedly injured in police action on Tuesday died on Friday in an Indore hospital, taking the Mandsaur toll to six as the peasants’ protest spread to other parts of Madhya Pradesh, official sources said.

The exact reason for the death of Ghanshyam Dhakkad, 25, will be known only after the post-mortem is conducted, they said.

Five persons had died in alleged police firing in Mandsaur, an incident that put the Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led BJP government on the backfoot.

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi had got arrested on Friday while trying to enter the trouble-torn district, leading to BJP accusing him of fanning trouble.

On Friday, the protest spread to other parts of the state with farmers reportedly pelting police personnel with stones when they were stopped from entering the capital, Bhopal. They also set a truck on fire and blocked Indore-Bhopal highway, police said.

“No one was injured and we have deployed adequate security forces to prevent any more violent clash,” a senior police officer in Bhopal said.

In Damoh, farmers surrounded the collector’s office demanding higher compensation for their farm produce, and in support of those killed and injured in Mandsaur. Sporadic incidents of clash between police and farmers were also reported from other districts.

The police have increased vigil in and around Mandsaur with security at entry and exit of every village in the troubleprone areas. No untoward incident from Mandsaur was reported on Friday.

A video showing Congress legislator Shakuntla Khatik in Shivpuri district asking people to burn a police station surfaced during the day, giving the BJP enough ammunition to accuse the Congress of being behind the farmers’ protests. The protest ended peacefully after police doused the effigy of the CM that was burnt by Congress workers.

The mother of the deceased farmer told local TV channels that her son was part of a farmer protest at Pragati Chowk in Daloda village when he was struck on the head in a police lathicharge on June 6.

Dhakkad was shifted to MY government hospital in Indore where he succumbed to his injuries, his family members said.

Mandsaur MLA Yashpal Sisodiya told HT that Dhakkad had been picked up by police on June 6 after protests. His condition deteriorated and he was taken to MY hospital where he died.

“Only the post-mortem will reveal how he died,” Sisodia said.