Police disclose names of Mandsaur farmers booked under NDPS

A day before the Kisan Mukti Yatra was to start from Pipliyamandi, Mandsaur to pay homage to six farmers who lost their lives in police firing and lathi-charge a month ago, the Mandsaur SP released the names of 32 persons who have cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 (NDPS) registered against them and have also been booked under various cases during the farmers agitation in the first fortnight of June.

Since the start of the agitation, local administration, intelligence and even the chief minister himself has been alleging that the opium smugglers lobby was behind the agitation.

But the state intelligence department is also convinced about the links. An official said that there was no reason for the farmers’ agitation to start in Mandsaur. Farmers in Mandsaur are quite well off. They take at least three crops, including soyabean and the lucrative opium cultivation. Most of the land is irrigated. If you look at the villagers, they may look rustic but have all the trappings of money.”

Swaraj India president Yogendra Yadav who was among the leaders of the Kisan Mukti Yatra said that this was simply a ploy. “Next they are going to say that I have links with the opium lobby,” Yadav said.

Intelligence officers said that the decision of the centre banning all trade in doda chura (poppy husk) and calling for their destruction was a sore point with the opium farmers.

State Congress spokesperson K K Mishra dismissed the police argument. “Shivraj Singh Chouhan is constantly shifting his stand. Initially he said that it was the Congress that was behind the agitation now he is saying that it is opium smugglers...”

Patidar samaj leader Mahesh Patidar also dismissed the allegations.

According to Mandsaur SP Manoj Singh, a total of 95 cases have been registered during the farmers’ agitation. In all, 262 have been named and there are over 3,000 unnamed in these FIRs, and 41 have been arrested arrest so far.