MP farmers' agitation: Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia arrested on way to Mandsaur

Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday was arrested before he reached Mandsaur in Madhya Pradesh, the epicentre of farmers' agitation after state police imposed section 144 in the region which prohibits more than four people from gathering, according to ANI. Scindia was arrested under section 151. Talking to media, before his arrest, Scindia has said he would go alone in Mandsaur as section 144 doesn't prohibit a single person's movement. "144 laga hai to maine police ko kaha hai mai akele jaunga. Kaun rok sakta hai agar ek insaan akele jana chahta hai ? (Section 144 has been imposed and, therefore, I told police that I would go alone. Let's see who stops if someone plans to go alone?)," Scindia said.

Scindia, the Congress' chief whip in Lok Sabha, was stopped from entering into Mandsaur along with his supporters at Dhodar. He had said that he wanted to meet the family members of the five persons who were killed in police firing during farmers' agitation last week.

Earlier, a party spokesman had said that the Congress leader would sit on a 72-hour-long 'satyagraha' from June 14 in Bhopal to protest against the "anti-farmer policies" of the BJP government in MP.

Madhya Pradesh farmers have been protesting since June 1, demanding loan waiver and better prices for their produce. The situation spiralled out of control as agitating protesters looted and set ablaze properties in several districts.

In the wake of protests, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had observed an indefinite fast in an attempt to calm down the rising tempers. However, he ended his fast on Sunday claiming that peace has returned to the state.