Madhya Pradesh farmers block highways, court arrest

Bhopal, June 16 (IANS) Farmers of Madhya Pradesh also participated in Friday's nationwide agitation to demand waiver of farm loans and better prices for produce, blocking national highways in the state for three hours, while over 1,500 protesters courted arrest all over the state.

The protest remained peaceful with no untoward incident reported from anywhere in the state.

Meanwhile, in Bhopal, police arrested seven farmers including National Kisan Mazdoor Sangh's national convenor Shivkumar Sharma 'Kakkaji' and sent them to jail.

Various farmers organisations across the country had called for a nationwide 'chakka jam' on national highways for three hours on Friday and under it, protesting farmers blocked the roads. Under the agitation, also supported by the Centre for Indian Trade Unions (CITU) and the All India Kisan Sabha, over 1,500 farmers of the state courted arrest, the organisers claimed.

According to police, Kakkaji and six others were held while protesting on the road leading from Bhopal to Hoshangabad.

Addressing media persons after his arrest, Kakkaji said that the government may arrest farmers or send them to jail, it could not still their voices.

"Farmers are committing suicide and this (state) government is only indulging in 'nautanki' (farcical acts). Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has made 6,500 announcements so far but none of them have been implemented," he said.

According to the agitation programme, the protesters were to block the highways from 12 noon to 3 p.m. but let ambulances and other emergency vehicles proceed. Only one section of the highway was fully closed, while in the other, common people's passage was assisted.

According to the National Kisan Mazdoor Sangh's state unit Vice President Trilok Goti, farmers courted arrest in various parts of the state - 300 each in Rewa and Hoshangabad and 320 in Dewas while figures from some other places were awaited. In some areas, police refused to arrest the agitators.

Meanwhile in Sehore's Nasrullahganj, police did not let the farmers come out of the mandi.

CITU office-bearer Pramod Pradhan meanwhile said workers had joined in the agitation at various places in the state, while AIKS' Jaswinder Singh said that protests were held in Gwalior, Indore Gohad, Satna and other places.