Agri Nation Network

Mandsaur| 06 July 2017

To stifle the voice of farmers and stop Kisan Mukti Yatra, Madhya Pradesh police today arrested the entire leadership of All India Kisaan Struggle Coordination Committee (AIKSSC) at Mandsaur.

A month after 6 farmers were shot dead by police in Mandsaur, the farmers of Kisan Mukti Yatra arrived today to pay homage to them. ‘Kisan Mukti Yatra’ which began from Mandsaur today will cover states before it reaches Delhi on July 18th. But as soon as the Yatra started, the entire leadership of the AIKSCC was arrested. Thousands of farmers participated in the yatra and protested against the government.

More than 500 farmers, activists and leaders of farmers’ organizations were arrested near Pipliya Mandi (Budha Village) by the Madhya Pradesh police today. The arrested leaders include VM Singh, Raju Shetty, Rampal Jat, Hannan Molla, Medha Patkar, Dr. Sunilam, Lingaraj, Kiran Wissa, Avik Saha, Kalpana Parulkar, Pratibha Shinde, Sunil Vimalanathan, Paras Sakalecha, and Yogendra Yadav.  The leaders of the yatra continued to hold public meetings in Dhalod Mandi while they were in the custody of the police.

Madhya Pradesh police had already arrested the main organizer of Madhya Pradesh leg of the yatra, Dr. Sunilam last night, hours before the yatra was to begin.

The official statement of All India Kisaan Struggle Coordination Committee (AIKSSC) said, “This was done because perhaps the MP government had realized the strength of AIKSCC’s farmers’ movement. This has shaken the administration of Madhya Pradesh government whose only agenda is to anyhow stop the farmers from paying homage to the martyred farmers”.

A member of Jai Kisan Andolan and AIKSSC, Yogendra Yadav, reiterated the resolve of the Committee to go ahead with the yatra as planned and fight for the rights of the farmers.

Before his arrest he said, “We are not going to give any kind of bond or file for any bail. Let the police arrest us, we will continue our protest in jail till the demands of farmers are not accepted”.

He also said, “While the BJP and the Congress are merely claiming to hold yatras for farmers, they are allowed to go ahead and when the farmers themselves attempted to hold a yatra, the government resorted to use of police to prevent them from holding the same.”

AIKSCC chief V M Singh warned the government that the peaceful yatra should be allowed to continue or else instead of removing them from Madhya Pradesh, the government will find itself removed from the state.

Farmer leader Raju Shetty, one of the arrested leaders said, “We farmers provide food to the government and in return we get bullets, there can be nothing worse than this.”

Yatra will begin from Richalal Muha tomorrow and a press conference will be held in Ujjain and from there, the yatra will proceed to Indore.

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