Guna, July 15: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has directed immediate removal of Guna District Collector and Superintendent of Police after a couple allegedly drank pesticide after they were mishandled by police. In the disturbing visuals, the farmer couple were also assaulted by police personnel. Farmer Suicides in India: 10,349 Farmers Ended Their Lives in 2018, Says NCRB Data.

Their condition is now said to be stable, a police official said adding that they were forced to use force after they resisted the eviction. Several pictures and videos of the incident which took place on Tuesday are going viral on the internet.

Force Used Against Farmer Couple:

Opposition Congress has slammed the use of force and demanded stern action against those responsible for the incident. "A Dalit couple was mercilessly beaten up by the cops. what kind of jungle raj is this? If it was related to government land, it (the issue) can be legally resolved...but beating him, his wife and a kid is not justified....stern action should be taken against those responsible for it," tweeted former chief minister Kamal Nath.

According to the government, in 2018 around 5.5 acres of the land was set aside for building college. The land was allegedly encroached by the farmer couple, the government.

On Tuesday, a team of government officials visited the land to evict the husband and wife. The couple, however, resisted the move and when their crops were destroyed they drank pesticide to kill themselves.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 15, 2020 11:32 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).