Madya Pradesh: Guna Collector, SP removed after farmer couple attempts suicide, relative assaulted

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan removed Guna Collector and SP.

The Madhya Pradesh government of Shivraj Singh Chouhan has removed the District Collector and Superintendent of Police of Guna, where a farmer couple drank pesticide when they were forced to vacate government land during an anti-encroachment drive. According to reports published in regional media, the couple pleaded with the police for some time and said that they would vacate the land after their current crops are harvested. They said that they had done sowing on borrowed money and would be difficult for them to repay if their current crops were destroyed.

Reports suggest the police did not listen to them and went ahead with their drive following which the couple drank pesticide in the presence of officials. A video of the incident went viral on social media, evoking sharp response from a section of people who demanded action against the police. A relative of the couple was also seen being assaulted with batons at the site.

Former local MP and BJP leader Jyotiraditya Scindia called the incident ‘unfortunate’ and said that he had spoken to chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan seeking action against those responsible for the act. Today, Scindia said that an inquiry had been initiated and the SP and District Collector had been removed. “The Guna SP and Collector have been removed, and an inquiry has been sought into the incident. I am confident that action will be taken against all those who are responsible for this heinous act,” he said.

गुना की दुर्भाग्यपूर्ण घटना को गंभीरता से संज्ञान में लेते हुए मुख्यमंत्री शिवराज सिंह चौहान जी ने गुना के कलेक्टर और एसपी को तत्काल प्रभाव से हटाने के निर्देश दे दिए है। @ChouhanShivraj https://t.co/zrehxYZV0n

— Jyotiraditya M. Scindia (@JM_Scindia) July 15, 2020

However, former chief minister Kamal Nath called the removal of senior district officials a ‘tactic’ which was ‘of no use’. “The incident is very upsetting. But transferring officers is of no use, these tactics are only part of a show but building a good environment is what matters. The officers removed today will be posted someplace good tomorrow,” he said.

Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi too shared a purported video of the incident captioning: “Our fight is against this thinking and injustice.” To which Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra responded by saying that when it was Rahul Gandhi’s government in the state then officers were posted under the prepaid system. “There were problems at the time of such officers. As soon as we got to know of the incident, Collector and SP were removed,” he said.