Madhya Pradesh farmers protest: Nine arrested for preventing villagers from carrying milk to markets, seven held for misusing social media

A group of men possibly associated with some agrarian outfits were arrested in Rajgarh and Betul districts for trying to force milk farmers to spill their milk on road instead of going to sell it.

Image for representational purpose only.

BHOPAL: The second day of the ten-day nationwide stir by farmers saw farmers in BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh voluntarily throwing their vegetables, fruits and milk on roads in Hoshangabad and Narsinghpur districts on Saturday.

While farmers threw vegetables and fruits on roads demanding loan waiver in Tendukheda area of Narsinghpur district, a group of farmers threw container full of milk in Karanpur village in Sohagpur area of Hoshangabad district.

A group of men possibly associated with some agrarian outfits were arrested in Rajgarh and Betul districts for trying to force milk farmers to spill their milk on road instead of going to sell it in the nearby market n Saturday.

“As many as nine men have been arrested by the police in Rajgarh district and four men held in Betul district, when they tried to stop farmers on way to sell milk at nearby markets. While the five men arrested in Rajgarh have been booked for rioting and wrongful restraint, the four men arrested in Betul district have been booked for breach of peace,” Makarand Deouskar, the IG (Intelligence) of MP Police told in Bhopal.

As many as seven men, meanwhile, have been arrested in Dhar, Neemuch, Ratlam and Agar Malwa districts for posting videos of June 2017 violent stir over WhatsApp social media platform to show the videos of that pertaining to the ongoing farmers stir.

“While three men have been arrested in Ratlam district, two men have been arrested in Agar Malwa and one each have been arrested in Neemuch and Dhar districts. The arrested men have been booked under Section 188 of IPC for breaching prohibitory orders clamped under Section 144 of CrPc to curb the misuse of social media during the farmers stir and Ramzan,” said Deouskar in Bhopal.

While the supplies of fruits, vegetables and milk remained largely unaffected on the first day of the stir across MP, the supply of essentials at markets in various cities and towns started showing signs of the impact of farmers stir on Saturday, with lesser number of farmers coming to sell their vegetable-fruits produce at mandis.

In Bhopal’s Karond Mandi, just 60-80 farmers arrived from adjoining districts to sell their produce on Thursday and Friday, against 460 farmers who sold their produce at the same market in a single day on May 30.

According to wholesale vegetable traders at the Karond Mandi, the arrival of fruits and vegetables from adjoining districts has plunged by over 60% due to Gaon Bandh stir launched by the farmers on June 1.

Traders said that prices of fruits and vegetables have started to rise due to blockage of supply and would further spurt in the days to come, causing inconvenience to consumers.

In Mandsaur district, which was the epicenter of the violent farmers stir last year, the arrival of fruits, vegetables and milk have started declining, despite heavy security arrangements to prevent farmers from being stopped from going to market to sell their produce.