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Violent protest at Hisar: Villagers give 72-hour ultimatum to admn to accept their demands
Protesters refused to cremate the body of the 56-year-old farmer killed when a protest turned violent outside the Khedar thermal power plant two days ago until four youths arrested in connection with the Friday violence were released
Residents of Hisar’s Khedar, Khap leaders and other social organisations on Sunday held a meeting in their village where a 56-year-old farmer was killed when a protest turned violent outside the thermal power plant two days ago.
They have now given a 72-hour ultimatum to the Hisar administration to accept their demands, else they will make a stricter decision at a mahapanchayat on July 13, people familiar with the meeting proceedings said.
A 56-year-old farmer was killed and four others, including three cops, had sustained injuries when a tractor driver allegedly tried to ram his vehicle into a barricade, but ran over them during a protest outside Rajiv Gandhi Thermal Power Plant at Khedar on Friday, forcing the police to use water cannons and tear gas shells to disperse the protesters.
Residents of Khedar and adjoining villages have been protesting against the new guidelines issued by the ministry of power to stop giving free ash to farmers, which they have been getting for the last many years.
Deceased farmer Dharmpal’s postmortem examination was conducted by a team of four doctors and his body was kept at a hospital in Agroha as protesters refused to cremate it until four youths arrested in connection with the Friday violence were released.
Shamsher Pannu, who heads the panchayat, said it was shameful that their man was killed and the police booked the protesters for the Friday incident.
“Dharmpal was killed due to police’s lathicharge. He was not hit by the tractor and we have sufficient evidence to prove it. The tractor had hit another villager, who is injured now. The police have implicated our protesters in a fake case. If our four youths are not released from the jail, we will make a strong decision on July 13. The administrative officials have agreed to our meeting with the arrested youths. The government should provide financial assistance and a government job to the next of kin of the deceased farmer and revoke the cases of murder, rioting and other charges registered against 800 protesters,” Pannu added.
Earlier, INLD’s lone legislator from Ellenabad Abhay Singh Chautala reached the protest site and extended his support to the protesters.
“The BJP-JJP government is responsible for Dharmpal’s death. The government should accept the protesters’ demand. The ash being generated at power plants should be given to local gaushala so that they can generate funds and the same can be used in taking care of cows. The villagers have been demanding the same for the past several months, but the government is not paying heeds to their demands,” he added.
Hisar superintendent of police (SP) Lokender Singh, meanwhile, refuted the protesters’ allegations that the farmer died of canecharge.
