Farmers Movement Archive

Farmers protest near BJP meeting venue in Karnal

KARNAL: Hundreds of farmers on Thursday breached police barricades to protest at the venue of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) meeting at Indri town in Haryana’s Karnal district. Earlier, the district administration had made elaborate security arrangements with the deployment of two companies of paramilitary forces besides the state police personnel. Farmers, who are protesting against the three central farm laws, reached the venue by jumping barricades from the residential colonies. Some farm union leaders told reporters that they wanted to hold a peaceful protest and show black flags to BJP leaders, but police allegedly tried to stop and confine them to a particular spot. Expressing their unhappiness, the protesters then tried to march towards the venue.“We wanted to hold a peaceful protest, but police today again wanted to create a situation of confrontation as was witnessed when they lathicharged farmers at Bastara toll plaza in Karnal recently,” said a farm union leader. The situation came under control after Karnal superintendent of police (SP) Ganga Ram Punia, along with Indri sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Sumit Sihag, reached the spot and held a meeting with the farmer leaders. The SP said farmers agreed to hold a protest outside the venue peacefully and assured them that they would not enter the venue and disrupt the meeting. The protest, however, continued until the meeting was over after which the police escorted the leaders of the ruling party out of the venue. BJP’s Karnal district president Yogendra Rana and party legislator from Indri Ram Kumar Kashyap were addressing the meeting, Tridev Sammelan, in which nearly 600 booth-level workers of the party were invited. “The meeting was called as per the party’s directions and such meetings are being called in every assembly segment,” said Rana. MLA Kashyap said everybody has a right to protest in a democratic way, but they should not create disturbance to others. The farmers from all across the country, mainly from the states of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have been protesting against the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act passed by Parliament last year. Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) (Charuni) Karnal district president Jagdip Singh Aulakh said they had come to protest at the venue of the BJP’s meeting on the call of Samyukt Kisan Morcha. “It is shameful that the leaders of the ruling party are taking shields in the police vehicles. It seems that the state police were only working for the protection of BJP leaders,” he added.

Hindustan Times

01-10-2021

India