BHOPAL: Days before the first death anniversary of six farmers who were killed in police firing on June 6 last year in Madhya Pradesh’s Mandsaur district, the brother of one of the victims, a teenage, has been served a notice by the district administration apprehending “breach of peace” by him.
The notice has been served on 10 men, including Madhusudan Patidar — stepbrother of 17-year-old Abhishek Patidar who was killed in police firing last year — all residents of Barkheda Pant village in Pipliyamandi area of Malhargarh town in Mandsaur.
The notice, signed by an executive magistrate of Malhargarh town asks Patidar why he should not be made to submit a surety bond of Rs 25,000 for “ensuring good behaviour” and public peace and harmony.
The notice is sent as part of the local administration’s efforts to prevent any recurrence of violence similar to last year’s events during the farmers’ stir in Mandsaur district. The respondents have been asked to appear personally before the magistrate on Saturday to submit their reply to the notice.
A 10-day stir has already been announced by farmers’ outfits all across the state from June 1 to 10. Congress president Rahul Gandhi will address a rally in Mandsaur on June 6.
On June 6, 2017, six farmers were killed allegedly in police firing in Mandsaur’s Pipliyamandi area, just a few km from Barkheda Pant village. The six deceased included Class XII student 17-year-old Abhishek Patidar.
“First, I lost my youngest son Abhishek and a year later my eldest son Madhusudan has been served a notice by the district administration asking him to furnish a surety bond of Rs 25,000 as the authorities suspect he is among those who could disturb peace during next month’s farmers stir. I don’t know what the state government and local administration thinks about farmers, first our sons are killed, then the farmers are dubbed as smugglers and now our sons are again being targeted in the name of preventing breach of public peace,” Abhishek’s father Dinesh Patidar told The New Indian Express over phone on Friday.
Dinesh Patidar has four children from two wives — Madhusudan and a daughter from first wife and two sons Sandeep and Abhishek from second wife. As part of the compensation announced by the state government, Abhishek’s family had received Rs 1 crore, while his elder sibling Sandeep was rendered a Class IV government job at Bhanpura tehsil.
When contacted, Mandsaur district collector Om Prakash Srivastava said, “Maintaining public peace is our priority, owing to which notices have been served to a large number of people on recommendation of local police stations."
Mandsaur district police superintendent Manoj Kumar Singh said 700 people all across Mandsaur district have been served notice as a preventive measure.
Why 700 notices have been sent
According to sources in Mandsaur police, the notices have been served particularly to those who as per past record and latest police reports are suspected to be a threat to public peace and tranquility.
The notice are sent as part of the local administration’s efforts to prevent any recurrence of violence similar to last year’s events during the farmers’ stir in Mandsaur district, which took a violent turn and police had to resort to firing, killing six people including a teenager.