WhatsApp, social media use curbed to control farmer protest in MP district

Farmers of the district, one of the main sugarcane-producing regions in central India, have been agitating for better produce prices over the last few days.

Updated on: Nov 15, 2017, 16:22:18 IST

Hindustan Times, Bhopal | By Neeraj Santoshi

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Wary of farmers taking to social media platforms and messaging application WhatsApp to consolidate a Mandsaur-like agitation, the Narsinghpur district administration has banned residents from posting or forwarding provocative messages and photographs on virtual spaces until early next year.

Sugarcane farmers stage a protest and burnt sugarcane in Narsinghpur demanding higher prices for their produce. (ANI Twitter)

Farmers of the district, one of the main sugarcane-producing regions in central India, have been agitating for better produce prices over the last few days. On Saturday, enraged protesters collected blood samples and then proceeded to write their demands in blood on the district collectorate’s walls.

Madhya Pradesh had witnessed one of its worst farmer agitations at Mandsaur in June. Young farmers used social media platforms and WhatsApp to coordinate protests and issue updates, forcing the administration to temporarily cut off Internet connectivity in the area.

The order issued by Narsinghpur additional district magistrate J Sameer Lakra under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure-1973 bans residents from posting or forwarding provocative/objectionable messages through social media platforms. It also prohibits protest rallies as well as publishing, printing or painting of provocative words on cutouts, banners, posters, hoardings and flags across the district. The order will remain in force until January 11 next year, and strict action will be taken against violators.

Salil Dhagat, district agriculture officer of Narsinghpur, told HT over the phone that sugarcane farmers were demanding a significantly higher price for their produce. “At present, farmers get Rs 270 per quintal of sugarcane from traders and sugar mill owners. They, however, want Rs 350 to Rs 400 for the same amount,” he said. “The price fixed by the government is Rs 255 per quintal.”

Sugarcane, sown between October and November, is a one-year duration crop. Narsinghpur accounts for over 50% of the crop’s total cultivation in Madhya Pradesh. Sugarcane is grown in over 20-22% (55,000 hectares) of the district’s total land under cultivation of three lakh hectares.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Neeraj Santoshi
Neeraj Santoshi is the Chief of Bureau for Hindustan Times in Uttarakhand, where he leads the state reporting team while covering government, politics, environment, wildlife, Uttarakhand High Court, and issues shaping the Himalayan region. With more than two decades in journalism across conflict zones, he has covered politically sensitive regions and environmentally fragile landscapes, and focused on stories that combine public interest with in-depth storytelling. An alumnus of Pune University with a Master’s in Communication Studies, he has reported extensively from Jammu & Kashmir (2003-2010), Madhya Pradesh (2010 to 2018 ) and Uttarakhand (Since 2018), covering subjects ranging from insurgency, elections and governance to wildlife conservation, mining, climate change, agriculture, human rights and social justice. He has covered politics and legislative assemblies of both Jammu & Kashmir and Madhya Pradesh over more than a decade. Before taking over as Chief of Bureau in Uttarakhand, he served as Special Correspondent with Hindustan Times in Madhya Pradesh and earlier reported for both Hindustan Times and The Indian Express in Jammu & Kashmir, where he covered state politics, environment and insurgency-related developments. Over the years, his stories have focused on environmental degradation, wildlife, illegal mining, governance and the changing social fabric of Himalayan states and Central India. He is particularly interested in long-form explanatory journalism, and stories that explore the intersection of ecology, conservation, governance and society. Outside the newsroom, Neeraj enjoys reading widely on neuroscience, consciousness studies, Artificial Intelligence and quantum physics, with a special interest in Kashmiri Tantric Shaivist traditions. He is also passionate about wildlife, mountaineering and the Himalayas, interests that continue to inform his reporting and deepen his understanding of the region he covers.Read More

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