The Madhya Pradesh government today conveyed to the Centre that five farmers were killed in Mandsaur in police firing, ending the confusion on who had fired at the protesters.
In a report submitted to the home ministry, the Madhya Pradesh government said the protesting farmers, demanding loan waiver, had allegedly set ablaze 25 trucks and two police vans along the Mhow-Neemuch highway on Tuesday.
The police tried to control the mob with a lathicharge and then by lobbing tear gas, 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.
The confirmation that the five farmers were killed in police firing bears significance as the MP government had initially claimed that the police did not fire at the agitating farmers.
Earlier in the day, Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Bhupendra Singh also told PTI that the five farmers had been 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 by the police for allegedly indulging in violence.
It said the violence had broken out in eight districts in Madhya Pradesh -- Mandsaur, Dhar, Jhabua, Neemuch, Ratlam, Dewas, Shajapur and Sehore -- and the state government was taking all possible steps to restore peace.
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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