Farmers Movement Archive

Harsimrat, Sukhbir among 14 detained as SAD marches against farm laws in Delhi

Fourteen senior leaders of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), including former Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Sukhbir Singh Badal, were detained on Friday during a protest march of thousands of farmers, activists, and party workers who had gathered in Delhi to mark one year of the three contentious farm laws. Although the proposed march – from Rakab Ganj gurdwara to Parliament House – was not allowed by the Delhi Police on Friday citing Covid-19 restrictions, SAD leaders held a symbolic march along Pandit Pant Marg till the entry to Parliament House Annexe, barely 500 metres from the gurdwara, with banners and flags demanding a repeal of the three contentious farm laws. Police said nearly 1,500 protesters under SAD’s banner gathered at Rakab Ganj to begin their protest march in the morning. “To handle the situation, an adequate number of security personnel from Delhi Police and central armed forces was deployed and barricades were placed to prevent agitators from marching towards Parliament. SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal, former Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal were among 14 people removed from the protest venue and briefly detained at Parliament Street police station. All of them were later released,” said deputy commissioner of police (New Delhi) Deepak Yadav.However, the proposed march and multiple barricades led to massive snarls on arterial roads in the national capital. In central Delhi, all roads leading to Gurdwara Rakab Ganj and Parliament House were barricaded and checking of vehicles intensified. Commuters were stuck in jams at several places till late afternoon. Police said they received information that around 10,000 farmers were planning to take part in the Delhi march.SAD has been extending support to farmers protesting at the Delhi border points of Singhu, Tikri, and Ghazipur since last November, demanding a repeal of the farm laws. “The party also submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, through the executive magistrate. Besides asking for a repeal of the black laws, it demanded a commitment from the Centre that farmers would be consulted before bringing in any new legislation affecting their lives,” SAD said in a press statement on Friday.In the memorandum, Sukhbir Singh Badal said the three laws “virtually threaten the farmers’ very existence, putting a question mark over their sources of livelihood and even their hold on their lands”. He also said the party broke off its alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party after the government ignored its concerns over the farm bill and enacted the laws. The party put forward five demands, including revoking the three laws, legal and constitutional guarantee of the minimum support price, and a resumption of talks with protesting farmers to resolve the deadlock. Leaders from Samyukta Kisan Morcha – an umbrella platform of over 40 farmer groups which are leading the farmer agitation since last year – did not attend the protest. “None of the SKM members went because it was a call given by a political party. At Singhu, we continued with our everyday events and speeches. If any farmer attended the protest, it would be in his own individual capacity,” said an SKM member, asking not to be named. Hundreds of farmers and activists started arriving in Delhi from Thursday afternoon in cars and private buses and were mostly put up at the three gurdwaras in the city -- Rakab Ganj, Bangla Sahib, and Sisganj -- and also at the farmer agitation spots at Delhi borders. Amritpal Singh, who arrived from Punjab earlier this week and was staying in Singhu, was among the hundreds who came to attend the protest march. “Several roads leading to the guudwara were blocked and some of us coming from Singhu were stuck at various points. Our friends and relatives travelling from Punjab were not allowed to enter Delhi. Police at the border points misbehaved with those coming to protest and many could not even enter Delhi,” said Singh, who came from Khatrai Khalan village in Amritsar district. Delhi Police brass said since they were receiving intelligence inputs that nearly 10,000 people from neighbouring states such as Punjab and Haryana may enter the city and try to reach the protest venue, deployment of personnel at all border points was stepped up and vigil intensified. The personnel were directed to check all vehicles entering Delhi, especially through the borders of Haryana and Punjab. Narendra Singh Bara, a member of SAD, said they condemned the police action of barricading various points in the city. “Along with protesters, public too faced issues in commuting because of the barricades near Mukarba Chowk and other areas. We don’t understand the point of barricading when the police ultimately allowed us to march to Parliament. The crowd would have been double had it not been for the restrictions and checking by Haryana and Delhi police.” Delhi Police officers said protesters were contained till the Rakab Ganj gurdwara roundabout, which is near the Parliament House Annexe gate, as they did not have permission to hold the march. Police said in a September 15 letter to SAD’s president Sukhbir Singh Badal and the party spokesperson Daljit Singh Cheema, DCP (New Delhi) Deepak Yadav informed them that their proposed protest march was not allowed in view of the existing guidelines framed in compliance of Supreme Court’s order on holding protests only around Jantar Mantar area and the Delhi Disaster Management Authority’s (DDMA’s) latest Covid-19 guidelines, prohibiting all kinds of gatherings till September 30. No case was registered till Friday evening in connection with the violation of the police orders and the DDMA’s Covid-19 guidelines, Yadav said.

Hindustan Times

18-09-2021

Delhi