Bhopal: The incident of stripping of farmers in the Tikamgarh Police Station has brought the IAS and the IPS fraternity of the state face to face. The police are blaming the collector Abhijit Agarwal for the incident, which has kicked up a major storm. The police, in a report submitted to the chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Home Minister Bhupendra Singh, have said that had the collector accepted the memorandum from the protestors, things would not have spiralled out of control.
The police say that the collector made the Congress leaders and the farmers accompanying them wait for over one hour. That turned the crowd into a mob -restless and violent –and force had to be used to disperse it. Some of the protestors had to be taken to the police station.
The administration, on the other hand, is blaming the cops for stripping the farmers. Sources said that the police station in-charge may be penalised. When the agitators were brought to the police station, only three police personnel were present at the thana. The rest were at the spot where the protestors were pelting stones.
The enquiry officer DIG KC Jain was told that these three cops had asked the protestors to take off their clothes for frisking them. The DIG’s report has reached the DGP. With the administration and the police blaming each other, the government is weighing its option carefully. Sources said that the chief minister is very upset and angry over the incident and the police station in-charge and some other cops may have to face the music.
