Bhopal Police Commissioner Sanjay Kumar on Wednesday, 29 July met a delegation of protesting farmers as their agitation over moong procurement, the e-token system, and a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP) entered its third consecutive day in Madhya Pradesh's state capital. Heavy police deployment remained in place across Bhopal as more supporters joined the sit-in through the day.

Key Developments

The farmers submitted a formal memorandum listing their demands during the meeting with Commissioner Kumar. He assured the delegation that the administration was committed to resolving issues through dialogue while maintaining law and order. Traffic diversion routes were activated across the city, with details shared via newspapers and social media, and a multi-layer police presence deployed at key junctions.

Members of the Kisan Sangh continued their sit-in at RRL Square, where they have been camping since Tuesday night. When a group of farmers attempted to march towards the Chief Minister's residence near Veer Savarkar Setu at the AMPRI junction, police halted them with a four-layer barricade of buses. Some protesters climbed the barricades before coming down after police intervention, subsequently sitting on the road and raising slogans against the state government. Several farmers protested bare-chested to underscore the urgency of their demands.

What the Government Said

Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Wednesday morning announced the formation of a ministerial committee to hold talks with the agitating farmers. “We welcome constructive suggestions from farmers. The committee will discuss their issues, but care should also be taken that the general public is not inconvenienced,” Yadav said.

Commissioner Kumar, speaking to reporters, said police were in constant dialogue with the protesters. “Our priority is to maintain peace while facilitating dialogue. We appeal to everyone to cooperate so that law and order is maintained,” he said, adding that diversion points had been set up on both sides of the protest route with adequate local police personnel deployed.

Opposition and Congress Response

Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar criticised the state government, arguing that forming a committee alone would not resolve the farmers’ problems. The Indian National Congress (INC) separately demanded 100 per cent procurement of moong, improvement in fertiliser distribution, and an early resolution of all pending farmer-related issues.

Core Demands and What’s Next

The protesters’ three principal demands are: full procurement of moong at fair prices, scrapping or reform of the e-token system, and a statutory legal guarantee for MSP — a demand that mirrors the national-level farmer agitation seen in previous years. Notably, this is the third straight day of the stir, and the addition of fresh supporters signals that the movement could widen if the ministerial committee does not produce tangible outcomes quickly. The committee’s first round of talks is expected to be a key indicator of whether the government can de-escalate the situation.