Madhya Pradesh farmers' protest: Shivraj Singh Chouhan ends 'indefinite' fast

Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday ended his indefinite fast, which he launched on Saturday in Bhopal, for restoration of peace in his state rocked by agitation of farmers and violence. Former Chief Minister Kailash Joshi offered Chouhan coconut water to help him break his two-day-old fast at the Dussehra Maidan. Before breaking his fast, the chief minister said, “Peace has been restored in MP and no case of violence has been reported yesterday and today.” He said that those involved in the death of five farmers in Mandsaur will be punished severely. BJP state president Nandkumar Singh Chauhan had claimed that the family members of those killed in police firing at Mandsaur on Tuesday have requested the Chief Minister to call off his fast. Kin of four out of the five persons killed in police firing on Tuesday at Mandsaur had met Chouhan here yesterday. They had come down from Mandsaur seeking justice for the deceased. Chouhan started his fast on Saturday in the wake of violence that marred the farmers’ protest strike from 1 June, launched to press their demand for a debt waiver and better prices for farm produce. Earlier, Chouhan had said he lived for the state’s people and the farmers and would also die for them. He said he would ensure farmers don’t face any problems. [caption id=“attachment_3484133” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. AFP[/caption] At least five peasants were killed in police firing in Mandsaur on 6 June. Farmer leaders, however, put the deaths at eight. One farmer died later of injuries in clashes with police. The violence by Madhya Pradesh farmers in Mandsaur has spilled over to several other districts, including the Malwa-Nimad area and even reached the state capital. State Ministers and the kin of the peasants killed in police firing earlier urged the Chief Minister to end his fast. On Saturday night, Chouhan met the family members of the killed farmers. He also met several representatives of farmers’ organisations and listened to their problems on Saturday. However, both the Chief Minister and Agriculture Minister Gauri Shankar Bisen had ruled out any loan waiver, following which a group of farmers started a counter-protest opposite Chouhan’s podium at the same site. With inputs from agencies