Farmer unions indulging in criminal activities, had to arrest leaders: Haryana to high court

The information was submitted in a petition filed on Wednesday by Haryana Progressive Farmers Union, a protesters body, alleging illegal detention of its 100 leaders who had to go to Delhi to participate in protests.

The Haryana government has admitted to detention/ arrest of 24 farmer leaders in the state and has told Punjab and Haryana high court that they were arrested as the organisations they belonged to were indulging in criminal activities.

HT File

A status report filed by Rakesh Kumar Arya, deputy inspector general of police (law and order), Haryana, says, “ these organisations have history of indulging in criminal activities, creating law and order problem and disturbing public peace and order.” Upon a call given to hold a protest in Delhi on November 26 and November 27, there were inputs that farmers have made elaborate arrangements to halt and block important highways/ roads in the state, the report says adding that hence, arrests were effected.

The information was submitted in a petition filed on Wednesday by Haryana Progressive Farmers Union, a protesters body, alleging illegal detention of its 100 leaders who had to go to Delhi to participate in protests. It had supplied a list of 30 leaders too.

Defending its move, the government has told the court that on September 10 a protest was held in Ambala and a serious law and order problem arose for which four FIRs were registered for causing damage to public property and under various other sections. Four more FIRs were registered in Kurukshetra on September 10 and September 11 for similar incidents of violence . An agitation was held on October 25 too in Kurukshetra in which miscreants indulged in criminal activities and a case had to be registered, the government has told the court.

It said, upon intelligence inputs, all field units were instructed to ensure criminal activities do not take place. Hence, officers in the field have taken measures in their respective districts and done preventive arrests. As many as 24 leaders have been detained or arrested out of 30, whose list was supplied by the union to the high court. They have been arrested/detained to prevent breach of peace and maintain public order and tranquilly and to avoid commissions of criminal acts. All of those arrested have been produced before the magistrates and sent to judicial custody by the magistrates, the government has told court.

Meanwhile, a plea filed by a Chandigarh resident praying for the court to allow farmers to go to Delhi for the proposed protest also came up for hearing on Thursday. The plea challenges advisories and prohibitory orders put out by Haryana on movement towards Delhi. The plea was later withdrawn from the high court.