Karnataka pushes for immediate release of farmers held in Madhya Pradesh

Karnataka government has begun talking to their counterparts in Madhya Pradesh to negotiate the release of over 100 farmers

Bengaluru:

Farmers disperse after police fire tear gas to disperse farmers marching towards Delhi (AFP)

The Karnataka government has begun talking to their counterparts in Madhya Pradesh to negotiate the release of over 100 farmers, including 30 women, said officials in the know of the development. Karnataka chief secretary Rajneesh Goel engaged in talks with Madhya Pradesh government officials on Tuesday, pushing for the immediate release of the detained farmers.

Farmers from Karnataka have been held under preventive custody across various cities for over 36 hours now.

Meanwhile, the situation took a grim turn when Padma Shanthakumar, wife of Karanataka farmer leader Kurubur Shanthakumar, sustained head injuries during a police intervention in Bhopal. She was among the farmers who were detained en route to participate in the ‘Delhi Chalo’ rally organised by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha in the national capital on February 13.

Narrating the ordeal, Kurubur Shanthakumar criticised the police’s heavy-handed approach.

“While our farmers were on their way to New Delhi, the police in a rash action got onto the train and pulled them out of it. They could have stopped them in a civilised manner, but they forcefully pulled them out of the train. It was the police’s high-handedness… my wife is now recovering,” he said.

Questions regarding the necessity of arrests in the dead of night were raised, with Shanthakumar adding the farmers’ peaceful intentions and their fundamental right to demand fair prices for their produce.

“… what is the need for arresting in the middle of the night? Are we goonda or anti-nationals? We are not asking anything for ourselves but asking for the right price for the farmers’ produce… Most importantly they have barricaded the entrances even though we had informed them about the protest three months ago. Is this a democratic or military government?” questioned Kurubur.

Criticising the union government, cabinet minister Priyank Kharge said, the security in New Delhi against farmers is unconstitutional. “The BJP government stopping the farmers from protesting and attacking them is unconstitutional. Whether the protest is right or wrong should be debated peacefully. Instead, the union government is using the BJP-headed states to stop and harass the farmers,” he said.