The Madhya Pradesh police and CRPF personnel have been given a clean chit by Justice JK Jain Commission constituted to probe the Mandsaur firing incident which resulted in the deaths of five farmers on 6 June 2017, New Indian Express has reported.
The agitation had begun with the farmers demanding better crop prices and compensation packages plus debt relief. The epicentre of the agitation was the Pipliamandi town in Mandsaur district of the state.
Incidentally, even though the protest was termed as farmer driven, reports have claimed that it was hijacked by “hooligans with a clear intent to destabilise the law and order situation in the state”.
As per the probe report quoted by New Indian Express, the first attack happened in an area named Bahi Parshavnath Chaupati, situated near Pipliamandi where the protesting mob started pelting stones on the security forces.
It was even reported that the mob then caught hold of two CRPF jawans and tried to snatch their rifles. This was followed by repeated warnings by the security personnel, who then opened fire which killed two protesters and injured three others.
The flare-up didn’t end here and a second incident was recorded at Pipliyamandi police station in the afternoon when 1,500 to 2,000 strong mob surrounded the building and tried to set it ablaze. The report claims that the cops tried to control the situation by firing tear gas shells.
As per an Indian Express report, head constable Dilip Moharir was dragged by the mob from inside the police station to the gate, with the mobsters demanding that he be burnt alive. The police then opened fire at the mob which resulted in the deaths of three protesters namely Chainram, Satyanarayan and Abhishek.
The probe panel, as a result, has been quoted as concluding based on evidence and concluding circumstances that the firing was “absolutely necessary” and justified. The probe also observed that the police had taken care to first fire on the legs of the protesters.
