Farmers Movement Archive

Delhi Police framing innocents: Farm union

Accusing the Delhi Police of framing and arresting “innocent” farmers, the legal team of Samyukta Kisan Morcha on Saturday urged farmers receiving notice from the police to seek their help before making an appearance.The legal team of SKM, the umbrella body of 40 farmer groups protesting against three contentious farm laws, also accused the police of booking farmers under sections of dacoity and attempt to murder with the aim to “implicate” them in “fake cases” and to ensure they don’t receive bail.The legal team also demanded that the cases against farmers be taken back and the Republic Day violence be investigated by a “high-level judicial” team comprising a high court judge and a retired Supreme Court judge.Also Read | Uttarakhand farmers destroy crops after failing to get buyers, proper rates“Since the police are arresting farmers by calling them by issuing notice, we urge all such farmers to first approach our legal team who will assist them at every step. The farmers receiving these summons should not visit the police without our lawyers,” Prem Singh Bhangu, convener of SKM’s legal team, said at a news briefing at Singhu Border. “All arrested farmers are sons of the SKM. We’ll fight your battle,” Bhangu added.So far, the police have arrested 122 people for their alleged involvement in violence and vandalism during a tractor rally on Republic Day. These arrests were followed by the registration of 44 FIRs related to the violence.Bhangu said that since these arrests were based on only a few of the FIRs, more arrests on the pretext of appearance in response to police notices were expected in the near future.“The police booked farmers under sections of dacoity and attempt to murder. We are agitators, not criminals. Did the police receive even a single complaint from any shopkeeper on Republic Day of theft of even peanuts that they registered cases of dacoity?” Bhangu said.On Friday, members of the legal team visited farmers lodged in Tihar Jail and informed them that a team of around 150 lawyers was working to seek bail for them. “We will also be sending monetary help to the jailed farmers by Monday,” said Bhangu.Bhangu also promised help from Monday in recovering farmers’ tractors and other vehicles that are currently in police custody.Members of the legal team also said that of the 38 farmers reported missing after the Republic Day incident, most have been traced and only 16 remain to be found. They said that while some of the missing men were traced to jail, others reached their homes.“Investigation is going on and whoever is served the notice has to join the investigation,” said Chinmoy Biswal, spokesperson for the Delhi Police.

Hindustan Times

14-02-2021

India