Report blames police firing for farmers' deaths

The factual report of the Madhya Pradesh government has blamed police firing for the death of five farmers at Pipaliamandi in Mandsaur district. Giving a detailed account of the violence, the factual report received by the Ministry of Home Affairs on Thursday said that on June 6, a mob of hundreds blocked the Mhow-Neemuch highway and torched 25 trucks besides two police vans and pelted stones on the police station.

The police tried to control the violence through lathi-charge but when the situation went beyond control between 2 pm to 3 pm, it resorted to firing in which five persons were killed and eight others injured. Backtracking from his earlier claim, Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Bhupendra Singh also admitted on Thursday that the five farmers died due to police firing. "The death of the five farmers was due to police firing. It has been established in a probe. I have said earlier that the farmers may have died in police firing," Singh said.