Challan filed in court against 13 farmers in Mandsaur, Patidar community up in arms

Patidar community is up in arms over the police action and threatened that there will be another farmers agitation in the state to protest ‘victimisation of farmers across the state’

Mandsasur police filed a challan in court against 13 members of patidar community in connection with arson at Bhanpura in the district more than a year after the incident.

HT file photo

Patidar community is up in arms over the police action and threatened that there will be another farmers agitation in the state to protest ‘victimisation of farmers across the state’.

The challan was filed on July 2 and charges the 13 farmers are facing relate to the violence that took place during farmers’ agitation in June last year, the day after 5 farmers were killed in a police firing at Piplia Mandi in the district. They were accused of setting afire several shops at Bhanpura.

The FIR against them had been lodged under sections 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 336 (act endangering life or personal safety of others), 147 (punishment for rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of 50 rupees) and 435 (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to cause damage to amount of Rs 100 or in case of agriculture produce Rs 10), as per police sources.

The farmers who appeared in the court at the time of the challan filed in the court and were granted bail subsequently include Hariom Patidar, Balkrishna Patidar, Suresh Patidar, Mansukh Patidar, Sukhdev Patidar, Bheemsen Patidar, all residents of Bhanpura, Toofan Patidar, Radheshyam Patidar and Ishwar Patidar, all residents of Nai Modi, Kachroolal Patidar, Radheshyam Patidar, Rakesh Patidar and Suratram Patidar, all residents of Sandalpur.

Earlier, Bhanpura police served summons on them to appear in the court. If charges are proved against the farmers they may be convicted with imprisonment up to 7 years.

Patidar Samaj Sangthan, an organisation representing patidars in the state, has accused the government of harassing the farmers after implicating them under false charges and threatened that there would be another farmer agitation in the state over the issue of state government not withdrawing the criminal cases lodged against farmers in connection with violence that took place in the state last year.

Patidar Samaj Sangthan has asked when suspension of the then collector, SP and ASP Mandsaur could be revoked then why not cases against the farmers who, it claims, were framed under false charges could be withdrawn.

The Sangthan state president Mahendra Patidar said anti-social elements set afire 7 shops of Patidars on June 7 but instead of finding the real culprits behind the arson police implicated 13 patidars under false charges. Filing of challan in the court 13 months after the incident by police and that too against members of only patidar community proved police’s biased action against them.

Similarly, he said, 54 farmers were made accused in an FIR in connection with a stone pelting incident near residence of a farmer Bhagwatilal Patidar on June 4, 2017. Of them, 53 farmers got bail but Patidar continued to remain in jail as the state government was opposing his bail applications.

Manoj Singh, superintendent of police Mandsaur said the incident that took place at Bhanpura led to FIRs against two groups. The challan against the accused coming from Mali Samaj had already been filed and now the challan against the other group was filed after thorough investigation in it.

He said police had acted on the basis of evidence and there was no biased action on the part of police.

As per Patidar Samaj Sangthan’s claim there are about 40 lakh members of the community most of whom reside in Malwa-Nimad region of Madhya Pradesh and also that they have considerable influence in about 40 assembly constituencies of the state.

It’s the size of the community that Gujarat’s OBC leader Hardik Patel finds much support in Madhya Pradesh. He has visited the state several times in the past couple of years.