Farmers Movement Archive

Farmers march on Karnal mini-secretariat after talks with dist officials fail

Hundreds and thousands of farmers marched their way to the mini-secretariat in Haryana's Karnal on Tuesday evening, after the talks between their union leaders and the officials of the district administration failed.The farmer leaders under the aegis of Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of unions protesting against the Centre's contentious agricultural laws, had called a Kisan Mahapanchayat in Karnal earlier in the day in protest against police lathicharge on protesters on an expressway in Karnal on August 28.The farmer unions had demanded action against the officials, especially sub-divisional magistrate Ayush Sinha, involved in the lathicharge that saw several injured. The farmers reached the New Anaj Mandi for the gathering in the morning, riding tractors and motorcycles. Soon after, an 11-member delegation went to meet the district administration to discuss their demands. The officials attempted to dissuade them from marching towards the secretariat.“Our talks with the administration failed as they did not agree to our demands,” senior farmer leader Joginder Singh Ugrahan told news agency PTI.The leaders then urged the assembled farmers at the mahapanchayat to march peacefully towards the mini-secretariat, situated around 5km away, in Karnal town.The rally was attended by the leaders of various farmer unions, including Rakesh Tikait, Balbir Singh Rajewal, Joginder Singh Ugrahan, Darshan Pal and Yogendra Yadav.  The leaders told the farmers not to enter into any confrontation with policemen, and squat in protest wherever they are stopped. Responding to the call, thousands of farmers marched towards the secretariat carrying union flags crossing barricades put up on the route.However, Yogendra Yadav tweeted later in the evening that the police detained him and Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait along with other leaders of the SKM on their way to the secretariat. Soon after, in another post on Twitter Yadav said the leaders were let off under the pressure of the gathered farmersPolice also used water canons to disperse the marching farmers. किसानों के भारी दबाब और प्रदर्शन के कारण में पुलिस ने सभी साथियों को बसों से उतार दिया है। सभी नेता पैदल आगे बढ़ रहे हैं। https://t.co/LV14NWpNaBThe state government ordered suspension of internet and SMS services in and around the venue of the mahapanchayat till Tuesday midnight even as police tightened security arrangements and imposed Section 144 in the district.On Sunday, hundred and thousands of farmers from across the country gathered at Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh to set the stage for ‘Mission Uttar Pradesh’ and continue discussions on issues plaguing them.Last week, Haryana police personnel baton-charged a group of protesting farmers in Karnal. The incident drew flak from several quarters after videos of Karnal sub-divisional magistrate Ayush Sinha ordering to “break the heads” of any protesters who "cross the barricades" went viral on social media.The leaders of farmers unions from Haryana demanded registration of FIRs against Ayush Sinha and police personnel involved in the lathicharge, as well as financial assistance of ₹2 lakh for those injured in the incident.ALSO READ | NHRC seeks report from Karnal DC, SP over lathi-chargeAddressing the mahapanchayat earlier in the day, social activist Yogendra Yadav said, “We have come to ask the government which Constitution, which law gives an IAS officer permission to give orders to break the farmers' heads.”“Under which law are police allowed to carry out brutal lathi-charge resulting in the death of one and injuries to several others,” Yadav added.Ayush Sinha has since been transferred and posted as the additional secretary in the Citizen Resources Information Department of Haryana government.

Hindustan Times

07-09-2021

India