Farmers protest over fertilizer shortage in MP, confine officials for hours

Rewa, Sep 3 Protesting farmers in Rewa in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday locked up several government officials, including a Tehsildar, for hours over an alleged shortage of fertilizer, forcing the police to intervene and use mild force to rescue them after dispersing the agitators.

No injuries were reported during the police action to free the officials.

The incident occurred at the Karahiya Mandi fertilizer distribution centre, where farmers were protesting since Tuesday morning over a lack of fertilizer stock and alleged irregularities in the distribution process.

The situation escalated when a group of enraged farmers confined officials from the state's co-operative marketing federation and revenue officials inside a room for several hours.

"Some farmers locked the Tehsildar, Nayab Tehsildar, and other market officials in a room while they were distributing fertilizer. Upon receiving information, the police arrived at the scene and used mild force to free them by late night," the Rewa district administration said on Wednesday.

The administration denied any lathi-charge by the police on the agitating farmers, even as a video of the alleged action circulated on social media, sparking political controversy.

Fertilizer distribution resumed on Wednesday morning under the supervision of senior revenue and police officials, with heavy deployment of cops to ensure a peaceful process.

"Fertilizer distribution began in the presence of Sub-Divisional Magistrate Vaishali Jain, revenue officials Yashit Shukla and Shankar Shukla, as well as district manager of Markfed Shikha Verma," Additional Collector Sapna Tripathi, who was present at the site, told IANS.

The authorities kept the situation under control, allowing fertilizer distribution to begin peacefully early on Wednesday. This, however, raises questions about why farmers had to wait for hours for a packet of fertilizer.

The violence raises questions about why farmers would resort to such action if fertilizer was, in fact, available adequately.

The Rewa incident mirrors a similar conflict that emerged last week in the Bhind district of MP, where Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Narendra Singh Kushwaha and District Collector Sanjeev Shrivastava engaged in a heated argument over the shortage of fertilizer.

The clashes between farmers and local administrations over fertilizer shortages are common, and they often turn violent, prompting police intervention despite the state government's claims of an adequate stock.

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