of Tikamgarh farmersNew Delhi, Oct 13 (PTI) The Congress party's MadhyaPradesh unit today approached the National Human RightsCommission seeking a judicial probe into the recent "strippingand thrashing" of farmers in Tikamgarh district by police.
The police allegedly assaulted the farmers when theydemanded that the district be declared drought-hit.
Led by the party's state unit chief Arun Yadav, aCongress delegation met NHRC member Sharad Chandra Sinha. Theyalso raised the issue of alleged forcible detention of a Dalitfarmer by the police in the state's Neemach district.
The leaders sought action against collectors andsuperintendents of police (SPs) of both the districts.
Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, Yadav charged thatthe BJP-led Madhya Pradesh government has neglected farmers.
"We met the NHRC over the incidents. We demanded thatstrict action is taken against the SPs, collectors ... thatthere should be a judicial probe into it," Yadav said.
The Congress had on October 3 alleged that a group offarmers returning from a protest for declaring Tikamgarh adrought-hit district were "detained, stripped and beaten up"by the police a day earlier.
The state government has denied the allegations.
In Neemuch district, the Congress leaders alleged thatDalit farmer Mohan Lal was picked up when he was attending afunction organised by the state government to distributecheques of crop insurance money on September 19.
They added that the farmer had questioned the local MLAand event organisers for not arranging water for the peasants.
"He also complained to the MLA that he had not receivedeven a single rupee of compensation in view of the cropdamage. After that Lal was picked up and kept in policestation forcibly for 18 hours without a complaint being lodgedin this connection," Yadav said.
He added that the farmer was allowed to go afteropposition party leaders intervened. PTI ENMABH.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.