Six killed in violent clashes at farmer protest in India

Six people were killed in India on Sunday amid fighting that flared up during farmer protests in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, Reuters reported.

Officials from the political Bharatiya Janata Party and police reported that two farmers, three of the party’s members and a driver died following violent clashes. The incident occurred following the death of two farmers who were allegedly run over while protesting controversial farm legislation. 

India has been embroiled in months of protesting over legislation that farmers fear will jeopardize guaranteed pricing for crops like wheat and rice and force them to sell their goods for lower prices to corporations, according to the Associated Press. However, the government has claimed that private investment will spur more production and that the legislation will also increase their crop prices, Reuters noted.

Discussions over how to resolve the disputes have largely failed among farmers and the government, the AP noted.

Two farmers protesting the controversial legislation were allegedly killed after a vehicle owned by Union Minister Ajay Mishra’s son ran them over, several farmers allege, according to the news outlet.

Mishra claimed that “miscreants” had attacked the vehicle and threw debris at it, at which point the family’s driver could not control the vehicle and hit the individuals, according to Reuters.

The death of the six individuals on Sunday only fueled more demonstrations and officials have vowed to investigate the circumstances around the deaths, according to Reuters.