Mandsaur admin steps up to block fuel supply to miscreants during farmers’ protest

MANDSAUR: Barely a week before the farmers plan to launch a scathing protest against the state government on June 1, Mandsaur district administration has decided to plug all options for demonstrators to store fuel in open cans. Petrol pumps have been asked to install CCTV cameras to monitor bulk purchases of fuel and submit a daily report to the concerned police station.
While a complete ban is imposed on selling fuel to customers reaching the stations with cans — a common practice in rural areas to store fuel in remote locations, customers wearing stoles to mask their faces have been debarred from laying hand on petrol or diesel at the pumps.
District collector OP Shrivastava has invoked sections under 144 of CrPC to ask the petrol pump owners to submit video footage of the CCTV cameras focused on the customers to the concerned police station by the end of the day. “We found that protestors in 2017 violence were carrying fuel in cans and indulge in arson. The move comes to prevent such circumstances,” he told TOI.
After five persons were killed in police firing, the angry mob had set afire factories, shops and at least 35 trucks dotting the Mandsaur-Neemuch highway with charred remains of vehicles in June 2017.
The 10-day gram bandi called by the farmers’ associations and AICC president Rahul Gandhi’s rally on June 6 aimed at garnering farmers support ahead of assembly elections, had brought the district administration and police on their toes, forcing them to monitor movement of people to Mandsaur.
With palpable anger among farmers over delay in procurement of their produce - some farmers stand in serpentine queues for over 4 days, the administration is closely monitoring those meeting the peasants. Hotels and lodges across the town have been asked to submit a daily report of people staying in their facilities to the nearest police station every 24 hours.
Pickets have been erected on roads leading to Mandsaur, with police stopping suspicious characters and checking their backgrounds. “The pickets act as a deterrent to miscreants trying to enter the town to create nuisance,” Shrivastava said.
Senior police and administrative officials have been camping in villages to hold discussions with small groups, telling them violence will not be tolerated.
“We have told the farmers.., those who don’t want to sell, they have the right to do so under democratic setups. But those who want to reach cities and sell their produce, we will not allow anyone to prevent them. We will give them adequate security and deal strictly with those indulging in violence,” he said.
The farmers’ associations had put forth 25-point demand and gave a call for a unique protest wherein the peasants will snap supplies of milk, vegetables and other farm produce to cities. However, sale of these products in villages will continue.