Farmers Movement Archive

Summons amid farmers stir: At least 3 don’t appear before NIA

JALANDHAR: In keeping with the unions decision that no farmer who has received NIA notices will appear before the agency as a mark of protest, abstentions marked day one of the hearings by the agency. TOI has information of at least three such persons refraining from visiting the NIA headquarters in Delhi on Sunday. Others have been asked to appear before the agency over the next few days. The NIA has summoned at least two dozen people who have been supporting the agitation against farm laws. The notices were issued in connection with a case of sedition, under provisions of UAPA and for other offences registered against SFJ in December last. Khalsa Aid India team members have also been sent notices. Farmer leader Baldev Singh Sirsa, who has been participating in the government-farmers meetings to resolve the issue, Punjabi actor Deep Sidhu and Karnail Singh of Hoshiarpur district were slated to appear before NIA on Sunday but did not do so. On Saturday, BKU (Rajewal) president Balbir Singh Rajewal had stated that those put on notice by the NIA should not appear before the central agency. He made this statement after a meeting of farmers unions and other leaders and strongly criticised the NIA notices as “harassment” by the government. Meanwhile, the NIA has rescheduled the appearance of at least two persons before it. Jalandhar-based writer and commentator Balwinderpal Singh, who was to appear before the NIA on Monday and had informed that he was still recovering from Covid-19 infection, received a message on Sunday that he would be sent another notice when he is fit to appear. Former Akal Takht jathedar Jasbir Singh Rode’s appearance was also rescheduled from Monday to January 21, after he questioned the short notice for appearance. #NIAusedAgainstFarmers trends on Twitter Punjabi netizens also spoke out against NIA notices, terming it as an intimidating exercise. They made #NIAusedAgainstFarmers to trend on Sunday and it trended on top in India for around an hour. By evening, over 1.34 lakh tweets were already done using this hashtag. This is probably for the first time when NIA has trended on Twitter with a negative hashtag. MHA-ordered FIR in Dec The FIR registered by NIA under sections 120B, 124A, 153A, 153B of IPC and sections 13, 17, 18, 18B and 20 of UAPA on December 15, 2020, on the order of Union ministry of home affairs (MHA), issued on the same day, reads: Whereas Central Government has received information that Sikhs For Justice, an ‘unlawful association’ under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, and other Khalistani terrorist outfits including but not limited to Babbar Khalsa International, Khalistan Tiger Force and Khalistan Zindabad Force along with their frontal organizations, have entered into a conspiracy y to create an atmosphere of fear and lawlessness and to cause disaffection in people and to incite them towards rising in rebellion against the Government of India...

The Times of India

2021-01-18

Chandigarh