Farmers Movement Archive

2 FIRs lodged against farmers for illegal construction, digging borewell at Kundli

Rohtak A man from Punjab (Karam Singh) was booked by name in two FIRs registered against farmers for constructing brick-mortar houses and digging borewell along the highway at Kundli on the complaint of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) project director Anand Singh and Kundli municipal council secretary Pawan Kumar. Police also visited the protest site at Kundli and asked the farmers to stop all brick-and-mortar constructions. The FIRs have been registered under sections 283 (whoever, by doing any act, or by omitting to take order with any property in his possession or under his charge, causes danger, obstruction or injury to any person ) and 431(mischief by injury to public road, bridge, river or channel) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 8-B of the National Highway Act, 1956. In the second FIR, the police booked Punjab farmer Karam Singh and others under Section 188 of the IPC and Section 8-B of the National Highway Act, 1956, for digging borewell near KFC in Kundli. Kundli SHO Ravi Kumar said, “The complainants stated farmers have constructed homes along the Chandigarh–Delhi national highway and dug borewell. We visited the spot and asked the farmers to stop all construction.” Farmers getting summer-ready As the summer is approaching, the farmers protesting against three farm laws since November have started constructing low-cost brick houses at Tikri and Kundli-Singhu borders along the Rohtak-Delhi road in Bahadurgarh, eyeing for a long haul. Deepak Ahlawat, a farmer from Jhajjar said they had used tents and tractor-trolleys as shelter homes during the winter but as the harvesting of Rabi crop is on, the tractors are moving back to the villages. “We are constricting make-shift homes so that we don’t suffer in summers. We are also asking the farmers to help in harvesting the crops of those staying put at protest sites,” he added. “These permanent brick structures are being constructed by farmers at individual levels as a preparation for summers in order to install fans, coolers, and ACs, and to keep out flies and mosquitoes,” said Paramjit Singh of Samkyukt Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of over 40 farmers’ unions. “This government is having a misconception that the farmers will leave the site without getting their demands fulfilled. We won’t and that has been our stand since the beginning,” Abhimanyu Kohar, a senior member of SKM told PTI. “The construction of permanent houses tells everyone about the determination of our farmers. We are preparing for the long haul, six months or one year, we won’t budge,” he added. Beside concrete houses, the farmers were also seen beautifying the surrounding area by planting trees and flowers. They are also putting up benches and make-shift canopy to give farmers some respite from scorching heat during the day.

Hindustan Times

13-03-2021

Chandigarh