Farmers Movement Archive

25 rounded up in Ambala, Kurukshetra, Yamunanagar

AMBALA: Haryana Police on Monday night and in the early hours of Tuesday detained 25 farm leaders in Ambala, Kurukshetra, and Yamunanagar districts, who could mobilise farmers for the ‘Dilli Chalo’ agitation in Delhi against the Centre’s three agri-marketing laws. Police said active farm body members had been taken into custody under preventive measures to avoid large gatherings amid the Covid-19 pandemic and to ensure the maintenance of law and order in the state and Delhi. The farmers and their leaders have strongly condemned the Haryana coalition government’s action and termed it an act of dictatorship. Earlier, the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Charuni) had given a call to start their ‘Dilli Chalo’ march towards Delhi from Shambhu border, on National Highway-44, but the assembly point for farmers had been changed to the grain market in Ambala Cantonment on Tuesday, due to strictness by the Haryana government. BKU (Charuni) Ambala vice-president Gulab Singh was detained at Ambala Sadar police station about 12pm on Tuesday. “Police knocked at my door at 4am and took me into custody. My family protested and they assured them that I have been called by the SHO and will be released in 30 minutes after a brief enquiry. But it does not seem that they will release me soon. Our leaders have been detained to weaken our march to Delhi. They can make lakhs of such attempts, but the agitation has now become a public matter. The farmers of Haryana, Punjab, and the country are aware and will not return from Delhi until the black laws are taken back,” he said. Ambala range inspector general of police Y Puran Kumar said 25 active members of BKU who could potentially mobilise huge number of farmers from Haryana to Delhi had been taken under preventive custody. “Of these, 11 are from Ambala, nine from Yamunanagar, and five from Kurukshetra district,” he said.

The Times of India

2020-11-25

Gurgaon