Mollah meets Mandsaur victims’ kin, Congress to hold ‘Satyagrah’ in MP

Bhopal, June 14 (IANS) As Gujarat Patidar leader Hardik Patel and Congress leader and former Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia were detained on Tuesday on their way to Mandsaur in Madhya Pradesh, Akhil Bharatiya Kisan Sabha General Secretary Hannan Mollah met families of the farmers killed in the police firing.

Meanwhile, the Congress in the state has decided to go on a 72-hour 'satyagrah' for the farmers' rights from June 14 at Dussehra Maidan in TT Nagar.

The Kisan Sabha delegation managed to reach Ramchandra Patidar's house in Neemuch district's Kheda village and Abhishek Patidar's house in Mandsaur's Barkedhapant village. The delegation met the families of the killed farmers and expressed their sympathies.

The farmers told the delegation that last year they received money for only 60 per cent of their yield. They also said that this year, they got Rs 2,000 per quintal for soyabean, which used to sell at Rs 5,000 to 6,000 per quintal. The same is the case with other crops.

They said that in the week since the police firing, no official, regional lawmaker or member of Parliament has asked them about their condition, and added that heavy police forces have been stationed in the area and are even "threatening" them.

The Akhil Bharatiya Kisan Sabha delegation has demanded Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to immediately give the promised compensation of Rs 1 crore and a government job to one member each of the bereaved families. It also demanded all cases registered against the farmers should be scrapped.

Talking about the 'Satyagrah', state Congress chief spokesperson K.K. Misra said: "From June 14, we will start our 72-hour 'satyagrah', which will end on June 17 in Khargone district with a 'Kisan Mahapanchayat'."

Former central ministers Jyotiraditya Scindia and Suresh Pachauri, Congress leader Kantilal Bhuriya, Rajya Sabha member Vivek Tankha state party President Arun Yadav, Leader of Opposition in the assembly Ajay Singh, and many other party leaders will participate.

"The state Congress Committee has always supported the peaceful protests by farmers under the banner of Akhil Bharatiya Kisan Sabha. The state party President and Leader of Opposition tried to go to Mandsaur, but they were stopped," Misra said.

Farmers' protests that started in the state on June 1, for better prices for their produce and debt relief, turned violent on June 6 when six farmers were killed in police firing in Mandsaur.

After the farmers' killing, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan ordered a judicial probe and even sat on an indefinite fast "until peace is restored". He broke the fast 28 hours later on requests from farmers and ministers.