Left, JNU students protest against Mandsaur firing

Condemning police firing in Mandsaur of Madhya Pradesh, in which five farmers were killed on Tuesday, All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) -- a wing of Communist Party of India (CPI) -- and Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) held a protest near Madhya Pradesh Bhavan here on Wednesday.

The protest by around 30 people was led by former MP and AIKS General Secretary Hannan Mollah and JNUSU President Mohit Pandey.

They criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led governments in the Centre and states for "anti-farmer policies" and suppressing farmers' protest through "unwarranted ways".

"The Modi government has created a very painful and adverse situation for farmers in its three years of governance. At least seven farmers were killed in Chhattisgarh last year. Now, the BJP-led governments in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh are trying to suppress farmers' protest through unethical and unwarranted ways," Mollah said.

"Pro-BJP and pro-RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) organisations are being used to overpower the ongoing protests. Farmers in Mandsaur were protesting against the government peacefully but it resorted to firing and killed farmers."

The farmers allege that the Madhya Pradesh Police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel deliberately opened fire at them when they were protesting on Tuesday. Five farmers were killed and seven were injured in the firing. The farmers, however, claim that eight persons lost their lives.

Pandey said people in the country will have to fight the brutal ways being adopted by the governments to control farmers' protests.

"In the name of nation-building, the BJP-led governments have been killing farmers and poor. Earlier, they killed Pahlu Khan, and now they brutally killed farmers in Madhya Pradesh," Pandey said.

Delhi University Professor Apoorvanand, who also joined the protest, said the government had no concerns left for farmers.

"The BJP government is saying the protesting farmers in Maharashtra are fake since they wear shirt and pant. These BJP governments have shown no remorse for their brutal action against farmers so far," he said.

The AIKS handed over a memorandum to officials at the Madhya Pradesh Bhavan, in which they demanded judicial inquiry into the police firing in Mandsaur, action against those responsible for the firing, loan waiver to farmers and Rs one crore compensation to the deceased farmers.

--IANS

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