Member of Parliament of Balaghat Kankar Munjare, who was jailed for allegedly assaulting staff during paddy procurement, has been granted bail by the sessions court after 12 days. On his release from Netaji Subhash Chandra Central Jail in Jabalpur, Munjare dismissed charges as baseless and termed the incident a political conspiracy. In an informal talk with the media, the former MP stated that allegations related to dispute during paddy procurement are false. Munjare said he would continue his protests in support of farmers’ rights. The incident took place on December 27, 2024, at a paddy procurement centre in Dhapera Mohgaon, Lalbarra Tehsil, Balaghat district. Munjare was accused of assaulting the center in-charge and a computer operator, disrupting the procurement process. A complaint was filed at Lalbarra police station regarding the dispute.

 

Later, an FIR was registered against Munjare and four others for obstructing official duties and assaulting staff. The entire incident was captured on the center’s CCTV cameras. All accused were arrested and presented before the special MP-MLA court in Jabalpur on December 30, where their bail applications were initially rejected and they were sent to judicial custody. After his release, Munjare expressed concern over widespread paddy theft and alleged that Balaghat district alone had witnessed a theft of paddy worth Rs 7 crore, while Jabalpur faced a loss of Rs 3 crore. The former MP demanded a thorough and impartial investigation into the matter and said if the Government fails to address the issue, he would knock the doors of the High Court.