MP: Farmers' protest turns violent, 5 killed

Five people were killed and two injured in violence that broke out during a farmers' agitation in the Mandsaur district of Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday, prompting the authorities to clamp curfew in the area.

Eyewitnesses said the victims suffered bullet wounds, but district authorities denied that there was any firing by the police on the protesters who torched vehicles and threw stones. Farmers in western Madhya Pradesh are protesting since June 1, demanding higher minimum support prices among other things.

Mandsaur Collector S K Singh confirmed the death of five people and



said a magisterial inquiry has been ordered. 

As tension prevailed, mobile internet service was suspended in Mandsaur, Ratlam and Neemuch districts.

Singh also said, "The police have told me that neither did they fire nor did they have any orders to fire."

Curfew has been imposed in Pipalya Mandi police station area of the district where the incident took place, while prohibitory orders restricting movement under Section 144 of the CrPC have been imposed in rest of the district and in neighbouring Ratlam district.