Ellenabad bypoll: 200 farmers booked after protest in Haryana’s Sirsa
According to the police, Haryana assembly’s deputy speaker Ranbir Gangwa, state minister Ranjit Chautala, JJP chief Ajay Chautala, Sirsa MLA Gopal Kanda and BJP candidate for the October 30 bypoll, Gobind Kanda, were scheduled to visit the two villages on Friday when farmers blocked their route and showed black flags in protest
Rohtak: Police in Haryana’s Sirsa district have booked over 200 farmers for allegedly blocking the road in protest against the visit of leaders from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ally Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) to Talwara Khurd and Kotli villages to campaign for the upcoming Ellenabad assembly bypoll, police said on Saturday, adding that two first information reports (FIRs) have been lodged against farmers.
According to the police, Haryana assembly’s deputy speaker Ranbir Gangwa, state minister Ranjit Chautala, JJP chief Ajay Chautala, Sirsa MLA Gopal Kanda and BJP candidate for the October 30 bypoll, Gobind Kanda, were scheduled to visit the two villages on Friday when farmers blocked their route and showed black flags in protest.
Kanda is contesting the Ellenabad bypoll against Indian National Lok Dal (INLD)’s general secretary Abhay Singh Chautala and Congress’s Pawan Beniwal. Chautala is seeking a fourth consecutive term from Ellenabad, which will go to bypoll on October 30.
Police said a resident of Mithi Surera village in Ellenabad, Sheshpal, in his complaint, said nearly 150 farmers obstructed the path of BJP-JJP leaders and tried to stop them from canvassing. In another FIR, police have booked 50 farmers for sealing the boundaries of Kotli village to stop entry of BJP-JJP leaders.
Sub-inspector Tara Chand of Ellenabad police station said they have booked the farmers under sections 147(punishment for rioting), 149 (unlawful assembly) and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The farmers, who have been protesting against the three central agri laws for nearly 11 months, also took out a rally by carrying the ashes of the four farmers and a journalist who were among the eight people killed in Lakhimpur Kheri violence in Uttar Pradesh on October 3. The ‘ashes yatra’ was taken out in Ellenabad f5rom October 21 to 23.
The Samyukt Kisan Morcha has already announced to campaign against Kanda. The farmers also protested against BJP’s rally held at Kagdana village earlier this week.
Meanwhile, Dushyant Chautala has announced to campaign for Kanda, who is pitted against his estranged uncle Abhay Singh Chautala.