Indian police kill 5 farmers in water protest

JAIPUR, India - The families of five Indian farmers gunned down by police during a water protest cremated their dead yesterday amid tight security and fears of more violence.

Almost 1000 police reinforcements have been sent to the area, just south of Jaipur, capital of the desert state of Rajasthan. Witnesses say the atmosphere is tense, with many people staying inside and almost half the local shops closed.

The five men were shot dead during a protest over water supplies on Monday, the second time since October police have killed farmers demonstrating over water. Five also died in the first incident.

Police say they fired in self-defence on Monday when hundreds of farmers pelted the 100 or so officers on the scene with stones. The farmers deny starting the trouble.

Rajasthan's 56 million people live mostly off farming, supplied by wells, and parts of the state are among India's driest and most drought-prone areas.

India's scorching summers bring severe water shortages across the country, due as much to crumbling infrastructure and poor resources as to the high temperatures. Water shortages have triggered small-scale rioting in the capital, where many people rely on water tankers for supplies.

The annual monsoon has already hit the south and is due to bring rain to northern India soon.

- REUTERS