The Congress and a farmers' organisation today alleged that police was "forcing" peasants to sign bonds stating that they would not create trouble during a protest starting June 1 to mark the first anniversary of the Mandsaur firing incident.
To protest the police firing that took place in Mandsaur on June 6 last year, many farmers' organisations called for a nationwide protest from June 1 to June 10 demanding better prices for farm produce.
Senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh today alleged that police had issued notices to farmers, asking them to sign bonds stating that they would not create any trouble during the protest.
"The BJP government in the state is suppressing the voice of farmers. I have evidence which shows that farmers are being forced to fill bonds," he told reporters here.
"The police have issued notices to farmers asking them to fill bonds stating they would not create any trouble during the protest," Singh alleged.
He was enroute to Orchha from where he would embark on a yatra aimed at uniting Congress workers in the state ahead of the polls scheduled later this year.
Congress chief Rahul Gandhi would visit Piplya Mandi village near Mandsaur on June 6 and address a condolence meeting-cum-rally to mark the first death anniversary of six farmers who were killed in police firing during a protest last year.
Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor Mahasangh (RKMM) president Shivkumar Sharma also alleged that the police was forcing farmers to fill peace bonds ahead of the agitation.
However, Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Bhupendra Singh denied reports about issuing directives to police to make farmers sign any bonds.
Farmers had held statewide protests in Madhya Pradesh last year demanding better prices for their crops. During the violence in Mandsaur, the epicentre of protests, six farmers were killed when police opened fire on them.
In the wake of the protests, the state government in October 2017 launched Bhavantar Bhugtan Yojana, a scheme to protect farmers over falling farm prices.
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