Farmers Movement Archive

Khattar arrives ahead of schedule in Karnal amid farmer calls for protest

Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar arrived in Karnal one and half hours ahead of schedule to plant a tree on the World Environment Day as hundreds of police personnel were deployed and roads were blocked with barricades amid farmer protest calls.He was scheduled to plant the tree at 10 am but arrived at 8:30 am for the plantation. The district administration did not make any official announcement about the visit. But the information was leaked, and farmer leaders began circulating messages on social media asking farmers to assemble at Karnal’s Bastara toll plaza for the protest.Khattar said the protests can be held peacefully but nobody will be allowed to disturb law and order. He said he has also appealed to farmer leaders to hold peaceful protests. Khattar said the district administration barricaded the roads and deployed a heavy police force ahead of his visit to Karnal for security.Karnal deputy commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav insisted Khattar’s visit was advanced due to the rain forecast.Jagdip Singh Aulakh, a local leader of Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), said they came to know that the chief minister will visit Karnal on Saturday and asked farmers to oppose it.BKU has played a key role in ongoing protests against three farm laws passed last year.Officials said Khattar, who has earlier faced protests by farmers, did not want any confrontation in Karnal and that is why he decided to advance his visit.Farmer organisations in Haryana are separately holding protests at district headquarters and plan to burn the copies of the farm laws.Farmer leaders Rakesh Tikait and Gurnam Singh Charuni planned to court arrests in Tohana on Saturday in support of the farmers booked and arrested for allegedly blocking the way of lawmaker Devender Singh Babli.

Hindustan Times

05-06-2021

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