Dehradun, Jan. 17 -- The state Congress on Friday staged a protest outside the police headquarters in Dehradun, seeking a central bureau of investigation (CBI) inquiry into the farmer suicide case. The Opposition Congress also sought the suspension of Manikant Mishra, the SSP of Udham Singh Nagar, and submitted a memorandum of their demands to director general of police Deepam Seth. On January 11, A 39-year-old farmer from Kashipur allegedly died by suicide in a hotel room in Gaulapar under Kathgodam police station in Nainital district, allegedly after he was duped of Rs.4 crore in a fake land deal. Before taking the extreme step, the farmer shot a video, narrating his ordeal and accused several people, including police personnel. He then uploaded the video on social media, after which, 26 people were booked on charges of abetment to suicide and cheating. Amid heavy police deployment, the Congress leaders and workers, led by state president Ganesh Godiyal and Leader of Opposition Yashpal Arya, first gathered at the state Congress office on Rajpur Road from where they marched to the police headquarters on the Subhash Road to press their demands. In the memorandum, the Congress demanded that SSP Mishra be put under suspension, an FIR registered against him, all accused should be arrested immediately, and the matter should be handed over to CBI for a fair investigation. Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee (UKPCC) president Ganesh Godiyal questioned "how the police could conduct a fair and impartial investigation when allegations have been levelled against them". "The farmer's suicide is deeply tragic and heartbreaking. It is extremely serious and has created an atmosphere of fear, discontent and anger among the general public and farmers in the region," Godiyal said. He said the reasons behind the farmer's suicide were "shocking and deeply disturbing". "According to information received from the deceased farmer's family and local residents, the police were protecting a land mafia involved in fraudulent activities against whom the farmer had filed a complaint. Instead of acting on the complaint, the farmer was continuously harassed," Godiyal alleged. Godiyal said: "A farmer was forced to commit suicide due to police harassment and the arrogance of power. This is a matter of serious concern for the people of the state. Instead of taking cognisance of the farmer's complaint of fraud and initiating action, the police accepted money from the accused and began harassing and threatening the complainant, which ultimately forced him to take his life," he said. He said the deceased farmer, in a video recorded before his death, clearly named the Udham Singh Nagar SSP, alleging that he was colluding with the land mafia, which ultimately led the farmer to take his own life. "Despite this, the police have not taken any action against him. This raises serious questions about the functioning of the state police," Godiyal said. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said that the Congress had become "issueless" after chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami recommended a CBI probe into the Pauri Garhwal receptionist murder case, and is now trying to defame the government by raking up another issue. "The Congress is completely bereft of issues and is conspiring to defame the BJP. They are trying to grab another opportunity to malign the party," said BJP state media in-charge Manveer Singh Chauhan....