While Collector denies police fired at protesting farmers, eyewitnesses allege victims sustained bullet wounds
District authorities have denied there was any firing on the protesters
Five persons were killed yesterday as the farmers' agitation turned violent in Mandsaur district of Madhya Pradesh, prompting the authorities to clamp curfew in the trouble-hit area.
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Some eyewitnesses alleged that the victims sustained bullet wounds but district authorities denied that there was any firing by police on protesters.
A magisterial inquiry has been ordered into the deaths, Mandsaur Collector S K Singh said, adding that police categorically told him that they didn't fire at the protesters.
The deceased were identified as Kanhaiyalal Patidar, Bablu Patidar, Chain Singh Patidar, Abhishek Patidar and Satynarayan. Curfew has been imposed in Pipalya Mandi police station area where the incident took place, while prohibitory orders restricting movement under section 144 of CrPC have been imposed in rest of the district.
Police did not fire
"Police have told me that neither did they fire nor did they have any orders to fire," Singh added. Farmers in western Madhya Pradesh are protesting since June 1, demanding higher minimum support prices among other things. In-camera autopsy of bodies was going on and the cause of death will be known after it, the collector said.
According to eyewitnesses, protesting farmers torched vehicles and indulged in stone pelting in Parshvanath area under Pipaliya Mandi police station limits
CM must resign
The Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, Ajay Singh, demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, saying it is a shameful incident for a chief minister who claims to be a farmer's son. "All the claims of the chief minister have proved false so far. Now the government is using bullets to suppress farmers' voice. Chouhan should resign immediately," the Congress leader said.
The state Congress and the Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor Sangh have given a call for bandh today across the state to protest the farmers' death.
Senior Congress leader and MP Jyotiraditya Scindia also condemned the incident. "This is a black day in the history of state. It is shameful that the state government is crushing farmers' agitation. Farmers' demands are genuine," Scindia added.
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