Mandsaur farmers' unrest: Policemen beat 26-year-old farmer to death, allege locals; probe underway

Mandsaur (Madhya Pradesh): A 26-year-old farmer died in Badavan village of violence-hit Mandsaur district, with locals alleging that was beaten up by policemen. However, police said the circumstances of his death were unclear and they were investigating the matter. Ghanashyam Dhakad was on his way to a temple last evening when some policemen stopped him and thrashed him with sticks, villagers claimed. The farmer was taken to the MY hospital in Indore where he died, they said. Mandsaur SP Manoj Kumar Singh and collector Swatantra Kumar Singh reached the spot today and talked to villagers there. The collector said the cause of his death was being investigated. Angry villagers in the area claimed that they were being beaten up and arrested by the police without cause. The SP assured them that their grievances would be looked into. Former Congress MP Meenakshi Natarajan, who is at the spot, said she would meet the SP to demand compensation for the deceased farmer. Violence has rocked the district after five farmers were killed in police firing in the district on Tuesday.