The Madhya Pradesh government today informed the Centre said that five farmers were killed in Mandsaur in police firing and the violent protests, demanding farm loan waiver, have spread to seven districts.
It submitted a report to the Home Ministry in this regard.
With the state conveying that the farmers were killed in in police firing, the confusion on who had fired at the protesters has ended.
The Madhya Pradesh government had initially claimed that the police did not fire at the agitating farmers.
The state government told the home ministry that the violent protests, which initially started at Mandsaur, were also seen in neighbouring seven districts -- Dhar, Jhabua, Neemuch, Ratlam, Dewas, Shajapur and Sehore.
As per the factual report, the state government was taking all possible steps to restore peace and bring back normalcy in the affected areas, a home ministry official said.
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi was detained by police while trying to visit Mandsaur so that the violence does not escalate, the official said.
The state government said the protesting farmers had allegedly set ablaze 25 trucks and two police vans along the Mhow-Neemuch highway on Tuesday.
The police tried to control the mob by resorting to baton charge and then by lobbing tear gas shells, it said.
However, the report said, when the farmers continued with the violence -- "arson, vandalism and destruction of public property" -- the police fired at them, killing five farmers and injuring eight others.
Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Bhupendra Singh also told PTI that the five farmers were killed in police firing.
In the factual report on the situation, the state government told the home ministry that after Tuesday's incident, seven people were arrested for allegedly indulging in violence.
Farmers in western Madhya Pradesh are protesting since June 1 demanding higher crop prices and debt relief.
As the farmers' agitation turned violent, the authorities clamped curfew on the trouble-hit area.
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