Farmers block roads seeking release of young activists
Backing the protesters over their decision to gherao Jannayak Janata Party Tohana MLA Devender Babli’s house on Wednesday and demanding release of two youth farm leaders Ravi Azad and Vikal Pachar from Hisar jail, Bharatiya Kisan Union spokesman Rakesh Tikait ad scores of farmers blocked Hisar-rohtak highway near Ramayana toll plaza and another group blocked the Jindhansi road.
The two activists were arrested from outside Babli’ s house by police on Wednesday. Tikait said they will open the highway after the safe release of both the farm leaders.
“We demand release of the two young activists. We will not go anywhere from here until the administration ensures that our demand is met,” he added.
BKU (Charuni) president Gurnam Singh Charuni and Tikait are at loggerheads over the Fatehabad incident.
Tikait is sitting along with other protesters demanding release of two farm leaders while Charuni remained absent from the Ramayana toll plaza in Hisar.
Calling the Fatehabad protesters “selfish and rebel”, Charuni had said that a few people who want to become heroes in the farm agitation have betrayed the farmers by protesting outside two police stations in Fatehabad on Wednesday night demanding registration of FIR against Babli.
“Some people had gone against the decision of Sanyukt Kisan Morcha leaders on Wednesday to gherao police stations across state on June 7 demanding registration of an FIR against Babli but these people gheraoed the MLA’S house on the same evening to sabotage the agitation,” he had said.
But Tikait said those who had protested outside Babli’s house are their own people and have been actively participating in the farm agitation. “They went against SKM’S decision but we will realise their mistake. We will gherao police stations on June 7,” he added.
A senior JJP leader, pleading anonymity, said Babli had met party’s state president Nishan Singh and deputy CM Dushyant Chautala in Chandigarh on Thursday and appraised them about the incident.