Haryana cops lathicharge farmers, fresh row erupts | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
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Haryana cops lathicharge farmers, fresh row erupts

By, Hindustan Times, Karnal
Aug 29, 2021 04:31 AM IST

The police said Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), which bans the assembly of five or more people, was imposed in the area, which made the farmers’ gathering “unlawful”.

The Haryana Police on Saturday lathicharged a group of protesting farmers in Karnal, leading to fresh protests and a political war of words against the backdrop of an ongoing agitation against three contentious farm laws.

Police canecharging farmers at Karnal's Bastara toll plaza on Saturday. (Manoj Dhaka/HT)(HT_PRINT)
Police canecharging farmers at Karnal's Bastara toll plaza on Saturday. (Manoj Dhaka/HT)(HT_PRINT)

Members of different farm unions assembled at the Bastara toll plaza on NH-44 near Karnal as chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar chaired a state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) meeting at a private hotel ahead of the upcoming local polls, people aware of the matter said.

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The police said Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), which bans the assembly of five or more people, was imposed in the area, which made the farmers’ gathering “unlawful”. According to the police, they made repeated announcements to the farmers to disperse but they were adamant on moving towards the venue of the BJP meeting. All roads leading to the venue were heavily barricaded.

The farmers said the police started beating the protesters without any provocation, injuring at least 10. “Many farmers were injured after police brutally lathicharged them without any provocation. Some even could be seen with blood all over their clothes,” Haryana Bhartiya Kisan Union (Chaduni) chief Gurnam Singh Chaduni said.

The police, however, denied the charge. “We used mild force because they were blocking the highway. Some stones were also pelted towards the police. Mild force was used to disperse the protesters,” Karnal police IG Mamta Singh said.

Farmers agitating against the central farm laws have been staging protests near the public functions of the state’s ruling BJP- Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) combine in Haryana since last year. Several farmers have been camping at Delhi’s borders since November last year, seeking a repeal of the new farm laws, which they say will erode their bargaining power, weaken a system of assured prices, and leave them vulnerable to exploitation by farm businesses. The government has maintained that the laws aim to ease restrictions on farm trade by setting up free markets, allow traders to stockpile large stocks of food for future sales and lay down a framework for contract farming.

On Saturday, the farmers blocked all highways and link roads in Haryana for over four hours after the police action. The blockade was lifted at around 7.30pm after the police released 11 detained farmers. “The police have released the farmers and we have decided to open the blockade but the decision about the agitation will be taken on Monday,” Chaduni said.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi attacked the BJP government after the incident. “Once again the blood of farmers is shed, India’s head bows in shame,” he said in a tweet.

Khattar, however, rejected the charge and said: “Obstructing official work is against democracy. If they [farmers] wanted to protest, they should’ve done it peacefully. If they jam highways and throw stones at police, then police will also take steps... We’ll look into it and take necessary action.”

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  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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    Neeraj Mohan is a correspondent, covering Karnal, Kaithal, Kurukshetra, Panipat and Yamunanagar districts of Haryana.

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