Madhya Pradesh: Farmer's Wife Sets Herself Ablaze To Stop Govt Officials From Destroying Their Crops

A farmer's wife in Bhopal allegedly tried to set herself on fire in an attempt to stop government officials from destroying their crops. This comes days after nationwide outrage over a video of policemen thrashing a farmer couple in Madhya Pradesh, who consumed pesticide after officials bulldozed their crops in front of them.

As government revenue staff, accompanied by policemen, reached the farmland in Atwas village in Dewas district on Tuesday, July 28, Savra Bi and her family protested against the authorities earth-mover to create a passage through the standing soybean crops.

When the team refused to listen, she doused herself with petrol and set herself ablaze.

According to Dewas District Collector Chandramauli Shukla, however, the woman's husband tried to set her on fire to obstruct the officials from moving the earth movers on their crops.

He said that two cousins, Ramzan Khan and Mehmood Khan, had initially agreed to allow a passage to be paved through agricultural fields, before the revenue court. However, Ramzan Khan at the last moment changed his mind, brought his wife into the fields and set her dupatta on fire.

The district collector said that as a government official rushed to save her, the team was attacked by Ramzan's family, leaving the official injured, NDTV reported.

"The woman, who sustained five per cent burns is stated out of danger and a case of rioting has been lodged against the 11 persons for assaulting the government team," he said.

Ramzan, on the other hand, has claimed that he was not present at the spot when the incident happened.

"My wife attempted suicide after seeing the standing soybean crop being crushed by the government team with JCB machine," he alleged.

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