FIR against Congress MLA Shakuntala Khatik for inciting violence during MP farmers’ protests

The FIR was lodged came on a video clip in that had Khatik asking Congress workers to set the Karera police station on fire during the farmers’ protest in Mandsaur.

The Madhya Pradesh Police on Tuesday lodged an FIR against Congress leader and Karera MLA Shakuntala Khatik for inciting party workers to violence during the last week’s farmer protests.

Congress leader and Karera MLA Shakuntala Khatik. (ANI File Photo)

A block president of the opposition party is a co-accused in the case. A police team raided Khatik’s residence and a few other places but couldn’t find her.

The FIR was based on a video clip in that had Khatik asking Congress workers to set the Karera police station on fire. The complaint was lodged by station in-charge Sanjeev Tiwari.

A first-time MLA, Khatik on June 8 held a sit-in with party workers outside the station to protest against police firing in Mandsaur that had left five farmers dead two days earlier.

Police asked protesters to leave and used water cannons against them when they burnt an effigy of chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

Khatik got into an argument with Tiwari and asked the party workers to set the police station on fire, the complaint said.

Widespread violence was reported in the state’s farm belt of Malwa last week, with farmers demanding a loan waiver and better price for their produce.

Angry farmers destroyed tonnes of vegetables and drained thousands of litres of milk to draw the government’s attention to their distress.