Madhya Pradesh farmers protests: Shivraj Singh Chouhan appeals for peace, says 'govt working for you'

In a move to quell the tension that arose after farmers protest turned violent on Tuesday in Madhya Pradesh, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday said his "administration is implementing every demand raised by the farmers". He said he himself is a farmer and understands problems faced by them. "I am in constant touch with the officials and checking the status of the incident in real-time."

In a series of tweets, the chief minister also appealed to the farmers to maintain peace and harmony across the state and not to give credence to rumours.

On Tuesday, five farmers were killed and several injured in firing during protests in Mandsaur. While police denied firing on the agitating farmers, the state government ordered a judicial probe into the matter. Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Bhupendra Singh, meanwhile, conceded that police may have acted in self-defence.

He had also announced compensation of Rs 1 crore for the kin of the dead and Rs 5 lakh to those injured. Officials claim shots were fired from within the mob of protesters.

In western Madhya Pradesh, farmers are protesting since June 1. They are demanding minimum support price for their farm produce, besides other things. Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi earlier blamed the Modi government for the ongoing farmers' protests and firing in Mandsaur district of Madhya Pradesh, saying, "Government is at war with the farmers of our country."

In response, Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu criticised the Congress party on Wednesday for politicising the incident and said, "Madhya Pradesh is an island of peace. I tell Congress don't politicise, don't fuel violence in the name of farmers."