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Two more debt-ridden farmers committed suicide in Madhya Pradesh's Shivpuri and Hoshangabad districts, police said on Thursday. Narmada Prasad Yadav, 50, a resident of Chaplasar village in Hoshangabad district, was found unconscious and foaming at the mouth by his brother on Wednesday. He was taken to a hospital in a serious condition and was declared dead later at night.
Station chief Mahendra Singh Chauhan told IANS:
Another farmer, Kalla, was found hanging from a tree in Shivpuri district's Bineka village. According to Kalla's kin, he had two bigha land in his name. But due to drought conditions since the last three years, he had increasing amounts of debt in his name due to which he took his life.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan met with the families of the deceased farmers from Mandsaur. He handed them a cheque for Rs 1 crore and assured them that justice will be given to the farmers who were shot dead in police firing.
Section 144 was removed from the district ahead of the Chief Minister’s visit and two more farmers committed suicide on Tuesday, taking the death toll to seven in just the last 10 days.
Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia on Wednesday also began a 72-hour ‘Satyagraha’ in Bhopal in support of the farmers demanding loan waivers and minimum support prices for crops.
Addressing the media, post visiting the families of the deceased farmers, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that his government stands by all those who were hit by violence and that the state would compensate for their loss.
He also added that farmers were not capable of covering their faces and burning cars, and asserted that there are anti-social elements behind the attack.
Two more farmers committed suicide in Madhya Pradesh's Balaghat and Barwani districts, since Tuesday said the state police to PTI.
The number of suicides in Madhya Pradesh has gone up to 7, since 8 June.
Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia on Wednesday started his 72-hour ‘Satyagraha’ at Dusserah maidan in Bhopal in support of farmers who are protesting for implementation of loan waivers and minimum support price, reported Hindustan Times.
Shivraj Singh Chouhan, speaking to media after meeting with the families of deceased farmers in Chillod Pipliya, said that his government is making all possible attempts to maintain peace in the state.
Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Harinam Singh on Monday accused Madhya Pradesh government of not addressing the actual concerns of the farmers. He said that the actual fight is over not receiving the right price for their produce.
Shivraj Chouhan along with his wife Sadhna reached Mandsaur in a special plane and went to Badwan village to meet the kin of farmer Ghanshyam Dhakad, who was killed in police firing.
He handed a cheque of Rs 1 crore as compensation to the kin of Dhakad, as promised. The state will also cover the educational expenses of his children.
He also assured the family members that strict action will be taken against those who shot dead the farmers.
Chouhan is also scheduled to visit Lodh, Nayakheda, Piplyamandi, Barkheda Panth and Budha villages to extend condolences to the kin of the other farmers killed.
Shivraj Chouhan is scheduled to meet the families of six farmers killed during the violent stir in the district on Wednesday.
Section 144, prohibiting unlawful assembly, has been lifted from Mandsaur ahead of Chouhan’s visit.
The state also sanctioned financial aid of Rs 1 crore each to the families.
The aid was sanctioned from the Chief Minister’s discretionary fund and it would be given by the Mandsaur collector through e-payment facility, a public relation official said.
Three farmers ended their lives in Madhya Pradesh in the last 24 hours, taking the number of farmer suicides in the state in the past one week to five on Tuesday.
Two allegedly debt-ridden farmers committed suicide at Jajna village under Rehti police station area in Sehore district and in Bhairpur village of Hoshangabad district, respectively.
Also, a farmer from Vidisha district died during treatment in Bhopal where he was admitted after consuming poisonous pills on Monday.
Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Bhupendra Singh on Monday, defended the state government and said that only four farmers had committed suicide in the state for the last one year, reported ANI.
Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia was arrested at Ratlam-Mandsaur border under Section 151. He was earlier stopped from entering into Mandsaur at Dhodar.
Section 151 prohibits a person from joining an assembly after it has been ordered to disperse.
Scindia was later released on bail.
Around 62 farmers unions across India will block highways on 16 June over Mandsaur firing, reported India Today.
Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia, along with his supporters was stopped from entering into Mandsaur on Monday. He was stopped by the Madhya Pradesh police at Dhodar, which is about 35 km away from Mandsaur.
Patidar quota stir leader Hardik Patel was released on bail after being detained in Neemuch while he was en route Mandsaur, the epicentre of the farmers’ stir in Madhya Pradesh, to meet the deceased farmers’ kin.
Patel was arrested from Nayagaon in Neemuch to prevent the commission of cognisable offences, City Superintendent of Police Abhishek Diwan said.
He was accompanied by Janata Dal (U) leader Akhilesh Katiyar, who was also placed under arrest.
The two were, however, released on bail later and transported out of Madhya Pradesh in police vehicles, Diwan said.
An FIR was filed against two Congress MLAs from Shivpuri – Shakuntala Khatik and Venus Goyal – on Tuesday for inciting violence during the Mandsaur stir, said an Indian Express report.
A video of the Congress MLA had surfaced showing her purportedly inciting party workers and farmers to torch a police station during the farmers protest.
A 68-year-old farmer, Makhan Lal Digolia, committed suicide by hanging himself from a tree in Hoshangabad district’s Seoni Malwa on Tuesday.
More details awaited.
Stating that the death of six farmers in Mandsaur was a blot on the Chouhan government, Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia on Monday equated the BJP regime in Madhya Pradesh to the “Hitler’s rule”.
Mandsaur district was marred by violence after the state’s farmers went on a 10-day agitation since 1 June demanding that the government waive their loans and increase Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) for their produce.
Six farmers were killed during police firing and many were injured.
MP Chief Minister Shivraj Chouhan had immediately ordered a probe into the matter and also announced Rs 1 crore as compensation for the victims’ families whom he also met.
He sat down on an indefinite fast at Dussehra Maidan in Bhopal for “restoration of peace” on 10 June which the opposition Congress termed a “drama”. He called off the fast on 11 June saying that after no fresh case of violence “peace had been restored”.
The state then announced new agriculture initiatives including ‘State Land Use Advisory Service’ and ‘Krishi Rin Samadhan Yojana’ that will offer loans to farmers at a low interest rate and and will also help defaulting farmers get credit.
(With inputs from ANI and PTI)
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