Farmers' stir: Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan calls off fast in Bhopal

Pic courtesy: ANI

Bhopal: Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday ended his indefinite fast he was observing for the restoration of peace in Madhya Pradesh.

Former Chief Minister Kailash Joshi offered Chouhan coconut water to help him break his two-day-old fast. 

Earlier today, the MP CM, with wife Sadhana on his side and a portrait of Mahatma Gandhi behind him, had sat at a pandal in BHEL's Dusshera ground.

Chouhan had earlier said that the government stood firm with the farmers.

However, both the CM and Agriculture Minister Gauri Shankar Bisen had ruled out any loan waiver, following which a group of farmers started a counter-protest opposite Chouhan's podium at the same site, as per IANS.

An organisation of farmers had yesterday said that they will continue the agitation till their demands, including loan waiver and better price of their produce, are met.

Earlier, the farmers had said that the stir, which started on June 1 and saw the death of five persons in police firing, will last till June 10.

In the last 10 days, farmers have resorted to violence during their stir for various demands, including a complete loan waiver.

Meanwhile, Mandsaur, the epicentre of the farmers' agitation, remained peaceful today with relaxation in curfew continuing.

However, prohibitory orders under section CrPC 144, which bans assembly of more than four persons, will remain in force in the district, as per PTI.

Curfew was lifted from all the three police station areas of Mandsaur city yesterday.

The curfew will remain in Pipliamandi police station area which is 15 kms from Mandsaur district headquarters and where five farmers were killed in separate police firings during the agitation.

"The situation is peaceful and there are no reports of violence so far," Collector OP Srivastava and SP Manoj Singh said.

Farmers in the state began protests over low prices for their crops on June 1.

The Mandsaur-Neemuch region, about 300 km from the state capital Bhopal, became the nerve centre of the gathering storm of farmer distress. Later, protests spread to some other parts of the state.

In Mandsaur, the curfew was imposed after five persons were killed in police firing during a farmers' protest on June 6.

(With Agency inputs)