3 ryots gunned down in mill

Guna, MP, Oct 27 (UNI) Three farmers were gunned down and four injured by a mill-owner's son who opened fire during a dispute over oil extraction at Ashoknagar district town today, police said.

Mill owner Arun Dubey and peasants from Sirsi Pachhar village came to blows this afternoon over the amount of oil extracted from groundnut and mustard at the mill. Dubey's son Kuldeep observed his father in the midst of a mob and first fired in the air with his licensed .315-bore gun.

Confirming the incident, Ashoknagar's Superintendent of Police R P Bisone said, ''Ganesh Ram (30) and Bablu (40) died on the spot and five were hurt. Two of the severely injured were admitted to the Guna District Hospital where Tulsiram Katwal (38) succumbed. The others were hospitalised at Ashoknagar. Kuldeep has been arrested and the weapon seized.'' The accused was charged under sections 302 and 307 of the Indian Penal Code and also under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

UNI XC-AC 2145