Farmers Movement Archive

Plan to move HC against cases involving Rakesh Tikait

Terming the criminal cases slapped on farmers leader Rakesh Tikait at Shivamogga and Haveri police stations as an afterthought action, Congress leader and former legislator B.R. Patil said that it was a misuse of power by the ruling BJP and he would approach the High Court of Karnataka seeking quashing of the First Information Reports (FIR) under Section 482 of Criminal Procedure Code. “There is nothing in Rakesh Tikait’s speech during the Shivamogga and Haveri farmers agitation that could attract the provisions of Section 153 of Indian Penal Code [Wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot]. The farmers leader asked the people to protest against injustice and fight for the complete repeal of the anti-farmer laws recently enacted by the Union and State governments. With such repressive actions, the BJP is attempting to curb the Constitutional rights of people to fight injustice. It is clearly a misuse of power by the ruling BJP and we would move the High Court seeking quashing of the FIRs filed against Mr. Tikait,” he said. Pointing to the delay in registering the FIR against Mr. Tikait, Mr. Patil said that it was an afterthought action taken after the Union government pressured the State government. “If the police found something wrong with Mr. Tikait’s speeches, they could have filed the FIRs immediately and arrested Mr. Tikait who was in the State for three days. They filed suo motu FIRs only after the farmers leader left Karnataka. The BJP may think that it would curb the farmers movement by implicating leaders in false cases. But it won’t happen as more repression is making the farmers movement stronger,” he said. Soil for memorial On the resolution of Samyukt Kisan Morcha, a conglomerate of different farmers organisations leading the movement on the Delhi border, to collect soil from different places across India for building four martyrs memorials in Delhi in the memory of farmers who died during the course of the ongoing agitation, Mr. Patil said that he would hand over to farmers leaders in Delhi soil collected from different places in the State for the purpose. “Farmers associated with Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha recently marched on foot from Basavakalyan in Bidar district to Ballari opposing the anti-farmer laws and expressing their solidarity with farmers agitating on the Delhi border. They collected soil from different places en route . Soil from Nargund and Haveri where agitating farmers were killed in police firing in the past were also added to it. I am carrying the pot of soil to Delhi,” Mr. Patil said.

The Hindu

2021-03-26

KALABURAGI,KARNATAKA