Gram bandi: Uneasy calm prevails in Mandsaur

INDORE: An uneasy calm prevailed in Mandsaur district on Thursday, a day before start of gram bandi - the 10-day farmers' agitation - with police and administrative officials gearing up to tackle any untoward developments. Carrying the bad experience of 2017, when farmers' protest turned violent leading to arson and large-scale destruction of property, police have installed check posts at all entry points of Mandsaur to ensure that crowds don't form during the protest.
Officials have been holding meetings with small groups in sensitive villages. "We have told them clearly. If someone does not want to sell their produce, it is their democratic right. But we will not allow anyone to prevent others selling the produce," district collector OP Shrivastava said. On Thursday, Shrivastava and SP Manoj Kumar Singh held meetings with farmer organizations in Pipliamandi, the area that saw maximum violence and deaths of five farmers, when police opened fire on June 6, 2017.
The farmers have promised us that the agitation will be held in a non-violent manner, Singh said adding police have been deployed in sensitive areas and asked to maintain utmost vigil.
The leaves of police officials have been cancelled for next 10 days, when farmers plan to continue their stir.
Thursday also saw clouds forming over Mandsaur and sporadic rain lashing in several parts of the district. Food grains stored in mandis were destroyed in several places, bringing worry lines on faces of several farmers, who were prepped up for the protest.
The farmers' association had given the call for gram bandi in which they decided to desist from selling their produce, including milk and vegetables in cities, in favour of a 25-point demand including fair price for their produce and action against police officials involved in police firing on June 6, 2017 that killed five farmers.