MANDSAUR FIRING: CLEAN CHIT TO COPS
Panel said firing on protesting farmers that killed six in MP had ‘become necessary’ and was in ‘selfdefence’
The Justice JK Jain commission, which probed the police firing at protesting farmers in Mandsaur on June 6, 2017, has given a clean chit to the police and CRPF, according to sources in the administration. Five farmers were killed in the police firing while one more died after being beaten up allegedly by the police. The report, which was submitted nine months late, said the firing had “become necessary” to control the mob, and was justified on the grounds of “self-defence”.
The Justice JK Jain commission, which probed the police firing at protesting farmers in Mandsaur on June 6, 2017, has given a clean chit to the police and CRPF, according to sources in the administration. Five farmers were killed in the police firing while one more died after being beaten up allegedly by the police.
The report, which was submitted nine months late, said the firing had “become necessary” to control the mob, and was justified on the grounds of “self-defence”.
The report also did not directly blame the then collector Swatantra Kumar Singh and superintendent of police OP Tripathi, but held that the information network of the police and the district administration was “very weak”.
The firing took place when the farmers were protesting demanding higher prices for their agricultural produce and a loan waiver. “None of these demands could be met at the district level,” the report observed.
It said the farmers had surrounded eight CRPF personnel and were pelting them with stones at Bahi Pasharvanath, Pipliyamandi, where the firing first began. The report added that the crowd caught hold of two jawans, beat them up and also tried to snatch their rifles. Three other jawans who came to their rescue were similarly beaten up, it said. The remaining CRPF men warned they would open fire, but the crowd did not listen, it added, following which the police fired, killing two people and injuring three others.
The report said the enraged crowd of around 2,000 went to the Pipliyamandi police station, armed with lathis, stones and petrol bombs. It said the crowd surrounded the police station, incited each other to burn it up and kill the policemen, which prompted the policemen to fire tear gas shells and use baton. The report said the crowd then entered the police station, following which the police fired, killing three more people. The sixth person had died a few days later.
Senior lawyer Anand Mohan Mathur, who has represented the families of the victims, criticised the report. “I am not satisfied with this report. Proper opportunity to expose the various manipulations has not been given to us. I wanted to cross-examine the then police station incharge, inspector Anil Thakur, but I did not get the chance to.”
The Congress said the report has exposed the anti-farmer bias of the BJP government, which has been ruling Madhya Pradesh for the past 15 years.
Sandeep, the brother of one of the victims Abhishek Patidar, a Class 11 students, said, “Our faith from justice has gone. We have been waiting for a year for justice, but this report has shattered us.”
State home secretary Malay Shrivatava said the report has been submitted but he was not in a position to comment on it.