MP Congress seeks judicial probe into 'stripping, thrashing'

The Congress party's Madhya Pradesh unit today approached the National Human Rights Commission seeking a judicial probe into the recent "stripping and thrashing" of farmers in Tikamgarh district by police.
The police allegedly assaulted the farmers when they demanded that the district be declared drought-hit.
Led by the party's state unit chief Arun Yadav, a Congress delegation met NHRC member Sharad Chandra Sinha. They also raised the issue of alleged forcible detention of a Dalit farmer by the police in the state's Neemach district.
The leaders sought action against collectors and superintendents of police (SPs) of both the districts.
Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, Yadav charged that the BJP-led Madhya Pradesh government has neglected farmers.

"We met the NHRC over the incidents. We demanded that strict action is taken against the SPs, collectors ... that there should be a judicial probe into it," Yadav said.

The Congress had on October 3 alleged that a group of farmers returning from a protest for declaring Tikamgarh a drought-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 that Dalit farmer Mohan Lal was picked up when he was attending a function organised by the state government to distribute cheques of crop insurance money on September 19.

They added that the farmer had questioned the local MLA and event organisers for not arranging water for the peasants.
"He also complained to the MLA that he had not received even a single rupee of compensation in view of the crop damage. After that Lal was picked up and kept in police station forcibly for 18 hours without a complaint being lodged in this connection," Yadav said.
He added that the farmer was allowed to go after opposition party leaders intervened.