Bhopal: Teargas shells land on terraces of homes

Bhopal: Teargas shells land on terraces of homes

FPJ BureauUpdated: Thursday, May 30, 2019, 06:02 AM IST
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Bhopal: A resident of Fanda village and one of the arrested person who was later released, Sandeep Mewada also lashed out at the police for arresting his four minor brothers and booking them for rioting and violence. “They had nothing to do with the protests. They were on the terrace of our house having tea when a group of protesting youths passed by our house. The policemen who were chasing them stopped near our house and lobbed tear gas shell on the terrace where they were sitting. They came down and about 20-30 policemen nabbed them and took away in police vehicles. We later came to know that they have been booked,” said Mewada adding that his brothers pleaded before the police that they are all minors and school students but to no avail. Speaking to Free Press he also said that the police while registering a case against his minor brothers, deliberately mentioned them as majors.

“My brothers told them their actual ages which were 15 and 16, but they didn’t listen to them and wrote 18 to show them as majors. We later presented their mark-sheets in court to prove that they are minors. I was among the protestors who were just sitting on a dharna at the village when the police arrested us at around 11.30 am. But my brothers were inside the house which is located about 500 metres away from the road where the protests were going on,” Mewada added.

Passers-by picked up

Another resident of Fanda village who has been released, Jaspal Yadav said that the police apart from arresting the innocent minors, also arrested many people who were just passing by the road. “Jagmohan Verma, a farmer and a resident of Mudla village which is about 10 kms away from Fanda, is still in jail. He was coming from Sehore on his motorbike after buying some agricultural equipment when the police stopped him near Fanda and told him that they want to talk to him. He was taken away by the police to the nearest police station where he was booked for rioting,” said Yadav. He also mentioned about another man, Ramesh Tailor, who he claimed works as a security guard in a residential colony in nearby Tilakhedi area.

“On that day he was going to a bank at Khajuri when he was nabbed by the police and booked for rioting,” said Yadav. He told Free Press that the police after arresting them asked them to sign on blank papers. “Those who refused to sign were later released. But those who signed were booked under serious sections like 147, 148, 149, 336, 353, 435 and others of IPC. All the arrests have been made as per the directions of the local BJP MLA, Rameshwar Sharma who had specifically asked the police to arrest people who were not involved in the protests but have links with the Congress. Even police asked people before arresting them, whether they are BJP or Congress supporters. They are first farmers then members of a political party,” said Yadav. Superintendent of police, Bhopal (North) while speaking to Free Press said that the situation on the protest day was tense and the police took necessary steps to bring it under control.

“They were pelting stones, they had burnt down two vehicles and were about to set ablaze a nearby petrol-pump, which would have been a disaster. To stop the rioting, police arrested some persons, whom they believed were involved in rioting. Some of them have been arrested while the others are under-trials. The courts have to take decision on them,” said Saxena.

The residents of Fanda claimed that since the protests, the people of the village are living in fear. Jaspal Yadav said that about 150 villagers are in the hiding. They fear that the police would arrest them. Some of them are living in homes of their relatives or friends. Yadav also said that barring a few, most of the arrested people were farmers but were not involved in the protests. “This is the time when the farmers prepare for the sowing season. But the arrested farmers have not been able to make any preparations like buying seeds, fertlisers etc. How can they plough their fields when they are in jail? If they are not released then they would incur huge losses which would make them angrier,” warned Yadav.

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