New Delhi: Hundreds of farmers, peasant leaders and activists have been arrested in Mandsaur on the 1-month anniversary of the firing that killed 5 farmers. Swaraj India leader Yogendra Yadav, NAPM’s Medha Patkar and others were taken into custody earlier today.

An activist with the Kisan Mahapanchayat, a peasant organization whose members have travelled to Mandsaur, confirmed that their leaders, along with scores of others had been arrested by the police. He also said that the administration had denied permission to the farmers organizations to hold a scheduled meeting and was out in force. He said that roads had been blocked and vehicles were not being allowed to enter the district.

The ‘Shaheed Kisan Smriti Mahapanchayat’ scheduled to be held at Pipliya mandi had been denied permission by the government. Pipliya is the site of the firing, allegedly by the police. The meeting was called by the kisan sangharsh samiti, an umbrella organization representing more than 100 farmers groups from across the nation, including Jai Kisan Andola, Swaraj Abhiyan’s peasant organization, Swabhiman Shetkari Sangathan, Raju Shetty’s outfit, and others.

A day before the commemoration, the Madhya Pradesh government arrested Dr. Sunilam, a peasant leader and former MLA from the state and a member of the kisan sangharsh samiti. Peasant leaders who have gathered in Mandsaur from various parts of the country have vowed to press on with the meetings regardless of whether they receive police permission or not.

Yogendra Yadav of Swaraj India had termed the arrest of Dr Sunilam as an authoritarian move and was quoted by news agencies saying that the mahapanchayat will carry on regardless.

The mahapanchayat meeting was supposed to kick off at noon today and conclude with a public meeting in the evening in a village nearby. A kisan mukti morcha has been planned which will wind its way through Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh before ending in Delhi on the July 18th, to coincide with the start of Parliament’s monsoon session.