In the land of ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisaan’, six farmers were shot dead in broad daylight in Madhya Pradesh’s Mandsaur on May 6. Who shot them? That’s unclear according to the state government. Why were they shot? That’s also not entirely clear. What were they doing? They were demanding the state government to address the agrarian crisis including agricultural loan waivers – much like the ones given to farmers in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh.

They were also demanding an increase in the minimum support price (MSP) of their harvest. In the wake of their deaths, the issue snowballed and hit national media headlines. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led government was quick to hit back. MP Home Minister Bhupendra Singh claimed that the shots were not fired by the police who were in the area. In an act of victim blaming, Chief Minister (CM) Shiv Raj Singh Chouhan accused the opposition – the Congress party – for fuelling the violent protest.