New Delhi: Farmers have begun marching from a grain market in Haryana’s Karnal to gherao district offices and protest the August 28 lathi charge. In their way are police tasked with stopping them, potentially setting up another violent clash.
Here are the top 10 points in this big story:
- Swaraj India chief Yogendra Yadav tweeted to say Haryana police had detained several farmers leaders, including himself and Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) chief Rakesh Tikait from Namaste Chowk. Minutes later he tweeted again to say that they’d been released.
- Visuals of the march posted online, and shared by Mr Yadav, show a sea of farmers and other protesters carrying flags and placards as they pour through Karnal’s streets.
- Earlier talks between 11 farmer leaders and district officials – over permission for the march – failed. Mr Tikait and Mr Yadav were among those at the meeting. Mr Tikait tweeted: “The government is not listening… either the Khattar government agrees to our demands or it arrests us. We are ready to fill the jails of Haryana.”
- The government has said it will not allow this march and has deployed over 40 companies of police and other security forces. Mobile internet and SMS services have been suspended in five districts and barricades have been set up. Camera-fitted drones will be used as part of security measures, PTI reported. Yesterday Home Minister Anil Vij warned farmers that necessary precautions had been taken.
- Mr Tikait tweeted to say that today’s kisan mahapanchayat and the protest march are “to seek justice” for Sushil Kajla – who farmers claimed died of injuries sustained in the lathi charge. The police, however, have denied this and said he died of a cardiac arrest.
- Mr Yadav has appealed to farmers to be disciplined and ensure a peaceful protest. He warned farmers “it is the intention of this government that (your) discipline should be broken… the movement should be dissolved. But we should not allow this to happen”.
- The Samyukt Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of around 40 farmer unions spearheading the ‘ agitation against the centre’s farm laws, gave the call for today’s protests to back its demand for repeal of the laws and an FIR against officials who ordered the lathi charge.
- The SKM has slammed last month’s “brutal” police action and, in particular, demanded a case against Karnal SDM Ayush Sinha, who was caught on video telling cops to “break (farmers’) heads“. Visuals of the August 28 lathi charge shared on social media showed disturbing scenes. The farmers responded by blocking roads and highways.
- Haryana Chief Minister ML Khattar further infuriated farmers last week after defending Sinha’s comments. He said “the choice of words was not correct (but) strictness had to be maintained“. Karnal District Magistrate Nishant Yadav also expressed regret, but angry farmers have refused to back down. Ayush Sinha was last week transferred to the Citizen Resources Information Department.
- Today’s mahapanchayat and march comes days after a massive gathering in Muzaffarnagar in UP. Farmer leaders claimed farmers from 15 states made it to the meeting, and that it would make UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Prime Minister Narendra Modi realise the power of farmers, farm labourers, and their supporters.
With input from ANI, PTI
