Farmers Movement Archive

BKU, farmer unions allege ‘threat & coercion’ as UP cops launch massive farmers outreach

BIJNOR: Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) on Tuesday claimed that policemen and revenue officials were trying to intimidate farmers and their leaders under the guise of an outreach campaign in western Uttar Pradesh, under which they were going to villages and trying to convince people against joining the protest on the UP-Delhi border. In a message, Digamabar Singh, state president of BKU’s youth wing, said, “Policemen and lekhpals are being sent to villages. They are dissuading and threatening farmers against joining the ongoing protests in Delhi.” Rajendra Singh, national president of Azad Kisan Union, said that several leaders of his outfit were called to police stations in Bijnor and “indirectly warned” against taking part in protests. “The government is trying to crush farmers’ voice. Police officials are summoning our leaders and threatening them. On Monday, some of our leaders were called to Mandawali police station in Bijnor, where they were told to stay away from the agitation. We are holding meetings and will leave for Delhi soon," he said. While BKU’s Bijnor district president Kuldeep Singh told TOI, “Our outfit has nominated nodal leaders who will galvanize the farmer fraternity so that they march towards Delhi in large numbers. In Bijnor district, several farmer leaders were called to police stations and were warned. We will confront police officials on this issue. If they stop farmers forcibly, we will not tolerate it and launch agitation at thana-level also.” But senior police officers dismissed the allegation as baseless. Lakshmi Nivas Mishra, superintendent of police, Bijnor, said, “No one is threatening farmers. It is true that we are talking and appealing to them against going to Delhi due to pandemic. Besides, we are trying to resolve all grievances of the farmers at local level. Their worries are being allayed. It is persuasion, not coercion.” The UP government had on Sunday night appointed 39 IPS officers as nodal officers to “establish a dialogue with farmers and stop them from taking part in the ongoing agitation in the NCR”. The set of instructions given to them also included preparing a list of important farmer leaders and striking a dialogue with them to address their grievances. According to sources, a massive outreach programme has been chalked out by the state police brass, under which policemen have been told to meet leaders of farmers’ unions in their region and address their grievances. “So that they stay in their region,” an order said. Revenue and agriculture department officers have also been pressed into action. Police stations across the state were also told to open ‘kisan seva kendra’ where a dedicated officer will listen to and address the grievances of farmers, who will also be "educated about the new laws". Several farmer groups from western UP districts like Meerut, Bijnor, Pilibhit, Hapur and Bulandshahr have extended support to the farmer agitation who are up against the Centre's new agriculture laws.

The Times of India

2020-12-30

Meerut