Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Farmers squatted on the rail tracks near Bamnia railway station in Jhabua district of Madhya Pradesh on Monday as part of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha's 'Rail Roko' stir over Lakhimpur Kheri violence but were dispersed by the police.
After the police foiled the attempt by farmers to enter the Bamnia station to stop trains on the busy Delhi-Mumbai route, they squatted on the tracks holding the tri-colour and raising 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' and 'Jai Kisan' slogans, eyewitnesses said.
However, police personnel removed the farmers from the railway tracks after a short while, they said.
A police officer said the movement of trains was not affected due to this protest.
Bharatiya Kisan Union's Jhabua district president Mahendra Hamad said members of the BKU and those belonging to the SKM sat on the rail tracks near Bamnia station.
He claimed police personnel dragged farmers off the tracks. "At least 500 policemen were present there (at the protest site)," he said.
Hamad said farmers demanded that Kisan Bima Yojana be implemented in the Jhabua district.
Petlawad police station in-charge Sanjay Rawat said farmers ended their protest at the request of the police.
Queried about the allegations that protesters were dragged away from the railway tracks near Bamnia, he evaded a direct reply, saying trains frequent that route. "It was our duty to save lives," he added.
The officer said the movement of trains was not hit by the protest.
The SKM had said trains would be stopped from 10 am to 4 pm on Monday during the 'Rail Roko' protest.
Eight people, including four farmers, died in the violence at Lakhimpur Kheri in Uttar Pradesh on October 3. The four farmers were allegedly knocked down by a vehicle carrying BJP workers. Angry farmers then allegedly lynched some people in the vehicles.
The other dead included two BJP workers and their driver.
Farmers have claimed that Ashish Mishra, son of Union minister Ajay Mishra, was in one of the vehicles. Ashish Mishra was arrested in the case on October 9.
