Farmers Movement Archive

15 hurt near Singhu in police action against UP farm group

At least 15 people were injured on Wednesday after hundreds of members of the Hind Mazdoor Kisan Samiti (HMKS), a farmers’ union from Uttar Pradesh, allegedly clashed with the Delhi Police after they were stopped from moving towards the Singhu border where hundreds of other farmers have been sitting on a year-long protest against the Centre’s three farm laws, senior police officers aware of the development said.The officers said the members of HMKS wanted to go to the Singhu border to protest against the killing of Lakhbir Singh, a Dalit farmer who was allegedly lynched on October 12 at Kundli near the border.Police said Singh’s family members were accompanying the protesters towards the Singhu border, where they had planned to protest against the protesting farmers, pay “Ardas” (a Sikh prayer) to Singh, perform a “hawan” and demand compensation from the government for the family.The protesters alleged that they were headed towards the border peacefully when the police personnel resorted to the lathi-charge.“We were a disciplined group of protesters from Meerut and Muzaffarnagar who were moving towards the border peacefully. Suddenly, the Delhi Police personnel launched a lathi-charge on us. At least a dozen protesters, including Lakhbir Singh’s wife and daughter, were injured. Many more of us also suffered bruises. We are now sitting at the border to demand justice,” said Hind Mazdoor Kisan Samiti spokesperson Manish Singh.The Delhi Police refuted the allegations of lathi-charge, and said that only “mild force” was used to disperse the protesters because they were creating a ruckus and trying to remove the barricades placed at the Singhu border. “The action was taken to prevent a law and order situation and a possible skirmish between the two opposite groups of protesting farmers,” a senior officer who asked not to be named said.Farmer leader and member of Samyukt Kishan Morcha, Darshan Pal, said, “We got to know that this group (HMKS) had come at the border with the deceased’s family member who wanted to conduct a havan at the protest site. This is another mischief by BJP-RSS as they want to disrupt the peaceful protests at Singhu border.”

Hindustan Times

28-10-2021

Delhi