Cash-strapped customers loot fair price shop in MP village

Chhattarpur (MP), November 12

Enraged over not getting ration from a fair price shop due to shortage of cash after the Centre’s demonestisation move, people at Bardaha village here allegedly looted groceries from the outlet in protest.

Shop owner Munni Lal Ahirwar has alleged in his complaint that the villagers looted food grains as they did not have cash to buy it. Police, however claimed that no such incident took place and it was only a minor scuffle.

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Bardaha village sarpanch None Lall alleged that the scuffle took place as Ahirwar was not giving food grains and other items for quite some time and the villagers had also complained to the Chief Minister Help Line and local police, but no action was taken.

#WATCH: Madhya Pradesh (11/11/16): Locals robbed ration shop in Chattarpur after owners refused to give ration pic.twitter.com/TAF0yau9U9

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He also denied reports of villagers looting the fair price shop.

The villagers were not getting ration from the shop for the past four months and on Friday they demanded the owner to give them their due for the full period but he refused leading to a dispute, Assistant Sub Inspector (ADI) Ram Kishore Tiwari said.

The owner asked the villagers to take ration for one month only but they insisted on getting it for the entire four-month period following which they started protesting, he said.

Meanwhile, a purported video of the incident shows villagers taking away groceries from the shop.

Police were investigating the matter, Tiwari said. PTI