Karnal, September 7
Locked in a showdown with the Haryana Government over a police lathicharge last month, thousands of farmers on Tuesday laid siege to the district headquarters after talks with the administration remained inconclusive.
They were demanding suspension of the then Karnal SDM Ayush Sinha for his briefing to police personnel on August 28 where he told them to “crack their (farmers’) heads”. The same day, protesting farmers were lathicharged at Bastara toll plaza as they were opposing a state-level meeting of the BJP.
As farmers from across the districts and other states started arriving in the city, the administration invited their leaders for talks. The two-hour meeting with an 11-member delegation of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) remained inconclusive as the latter remained adamant on their demand for Sinha’s suspension. The farmers then gathered at the local grain market. From there, they marched towards
the mini secretariat, 5 km away. They broke two barricades near the complex following which the police used water cannons to disperse them. There was, however, no other serious confrontation.
Leaders, including Tikait, Gurnam Singh Charuni and Yogendra Yadav, were detained briefly near Namaste Chowk on the NH-44. The SKM began a dharna at the mini secretariat late this evening amid heavy police presence. Tikait said, “We have been on a dharna at Delhi’s border for over nine months seeking repeal of the central farm laws. We will do the same here till our demands are met.”
Besides Sinha’s suspension, SKM’s other demands include action against cops involved in the lathicharge, a compensation of Rs 25 lakh and job for the family of deceased farmer Sushil Kajal, who died of heart attack after allegedly sustaining injuries in the police action, and Rs 2 lakh each for those injured. Deputy Commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav said they were in touch with the farmers to resolve the issue.
As farmers regroup to intensify their protests against new agricultural laws, Anil Ghanwat, a member of the Supreme Court-instituted committee on the subject wrote to Chief Justice of India NV Ramana today to make the panel report public. “It has been five months since the panel submitted its report in March. The report has neither been made public nor any deliberation held on it. As a farmer myself I am pained that the matter has not been resolved,” Ghanwat said.
