BHOPAL: In a bizarre development, Madhya Pradesh police investigating incidents of arson and violence during last month’s farmers agitation in Mandsaur listed a man lodged in jail for taking part in the protests.
The list of 32 absconding drug peddlers and smugglers who were found involved in incidents of widespread violence in different parts of Mandsaur district in the first week of June, included a man who is lodged in Mandsaur jail since March 2017 in an NDPS Act case of 2010. The list of the smugglers on the run on whom cash reward spanning from Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000 have been placed for being part of the violence during the farmers movement, included the name of Pushkar a the tenth slot.
Pushkar, who was booked by the Pipiliyamandi police station for arson, rioting and violence following investigations into last month’s violence, however, is not absconding, but is actually lodged in Mandsaur jail since March 2017 in an NDPS Act case lodged against him in 2010. Coming to know about the anomaly, the Mandsaur district jail deputy superintendent Sunil Sharma informed the police about it, after which Pushkar’s name was deleted from the list.
The list of absconding drug smugglers also included Badrilal, who is partially crippled and bedridden since the last several years owing to some mishap. He was accused in a 2013 case of NDPS Act. When contacted, the Mandsaur district superintendent of police Manoj Singh said that the list was released just a few days after violence in different parts of Mandsaur last month, but has been corrected now.
“We have deleted both the names. The list of absconding drug smugglers who were allegedly involved in the violent incidents in the first week of June was made based on statements of eye witnesses of violence. But coming to know about both these persons, their names were deleted from the list later,” said Singh.
The state government and the ruling BJP leaders have been claiming that anti-social elements, including narcotics smugglers, were involved in the violence all across Mandsaur district, particularly between June 5 and June 7.
It was during the violent protests by farmers on June 6 in Mandsaur that five farmers were killed allegedly in police firing, while another farmer was killed allegedly due to police torture the next day. The state government has constituted a single member judicial commission headed by a retired high court judge to probe the deaths of farmers, whose kin have been sanctioned Rs 1 crore each as compensation.