Madhya Pradesh farmers' agitation: Curfew to be relaxed in Mandsaur from 10 am to 6 pm as situation improves

Mandsaur/Neemuch: Curfew will be relaxed in the Mandsaur district and other areas of Madhya Pradesh as situation continues to improve, days after farmers' death due to police firing triggered violence in the region.

According to reports, the curfew will be relaxed from 10 am to 6 pm today.

MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had yesterday made an appeal for calm and assured farmers of full assistance even as Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi visited Mandasur defying ban orders, raising the political temperatures.

The Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi was arrested by the authorities and charged under Section 151 when he tried to enter the state to meet agitating farmers.

Farmers set fire to a truck and four motorcycles and stoned police personnel in Shajapur district after which the authorities immediately passed orders banning the assembly of five or more people. 

A Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Rajesh Yadav, was also attacked by some protesters. He was admitted to hospital with a leg fracture.

Another mob of farmers burnt a truck in Dewas district. Mandsaur, where police shot dead the five farmers on Tuesday, was however calm but tense.

Amid the simmering tension, the government transferred the District Magistrates of Mandsaur, Ratlam and Neemuch. The Mandsaur Police Superintendent was also shunted out. All three places had witnessed violence by farmers.

Gandhi was not allowed to visit Mandsaur and was arrested with 29 other leaders including Janata Dal-United's Sharad Yadav when they entered Madhya Pradesh. All of them were released on personal bonds. 

Gandhi then met some farmers and expressed solidarity with them. Thursday was the eighth day of the farmers' agitation in Madhya Pradesh. They want their loans to be written off and their produce to be bought at a fair price.

Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rajkumar Yadav said farmers also staged protests in Harda and Raisen districts while Aam Kisan Union's Kedar Sirohi threatened to unleash road blockades in the state. 

Rahul Gandhi used the opportunity to slam the Modi government.

"Modi waived off loans worth Rs 150,000 crore for the richest people in India," he said. "But they can't pay the right price to farmers for their produce, they can't give compensation. They can give only bullets."

Gandhi entered Madhya Pradesh by car from Rajasthan and switched over to a bike in a bid to reach Mandsaur after seeing police deployment. But he could not go too far.

Congress leaders Kamal Nath and Digvijaya Singh as well as Sharad Yadav were also stopped from meeting the families of the dead farmers.

He said Chouhan had promised farmers 1.5 times return on the yield of crops. "Why hasn't he implemented his own promise?"

The BJP accused the Congress of instigating the farmers' violence and said Gandhi's conduct was irresponsible.

"There is information that some people were involved in instigating violence," Home Minister Rajnath Singh said.