Protests continue, farmers organise mahapanchayat
Two-hour-long stir that started at noon resulted in traffic snarls at several places across state
HARYANA DEPUTY CM PROMISES ACTION AGAINST KARNAL SDM FOR ‘CRACK THE HEADS OF FARMERS’ REMARK
CHANDIGARH: Protests continued on Sunday over police action against farmers agitating against three contentious farm laws in Haryana a day earlier, with farm leaders pledging to intensify demonstrations at a mahapanchayat.
The Haryana Police on Saturday lathi-charged a group of protesting farmers in Karnal, leading to fresh protests and a political war of words against the backdrop of the ongoing agitation against the three farm laws.
Hitting out at police action, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait alleged that “the country has been occupied by the state-run Taliban”.
Leaders linked to the SKM, including Tikait, Darshan Pal, Balbir Singh Rajjewal and Yogendra Yadav, attended a mahapanchayat in Nuh, where Saturday’s
incident was discussed. The mahapanchayat was scheduled before the police action.
Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, meanwhile, defended the police action, saying the farmers promised a peaceful protest but hurled stones and blocked highways.
CHANDIGARH/SANGRUR/JALANDHAR: Farmers blocked roads and highways in Punjab for two hours on Sunday in protest against the lathicharge on peasants in Haryana.
Owing allegiance to various farmer bodies, the protesters burnt the effigies of the Bjp-led Haryana government for using “force” on farmers in Karnal.
Around 10 people were injured on Saturday as police allegedly lathicharged a group of farmers disrupting traffic movement on a national highway while heading towards Karnal to protest against a BJP meeting.
The two-hour-long agitation in Punjab that started at noon also caused inconvenience to commuters, who got stuck in traffic snarls at several places.
The protest caused disruption of vehicular traffic at many places and affected routes along the Jalandhar-pathankot highway, Ludhiana-chandigarh highway, Amritsar-ganganagar highway and Ferozepur-zira road.
Farmers also burnt the effigies of the central government in villages of Sangrur, Barnala and Patiala districts and blocked state and national highways. In Sangrur, the Chandigarh-sangrur
national highway was blocked at Kalajhar toll plaza, Ludhiana-sangrur road at Ladda toll plaza and Sangrur-patran road at Kheri village.
In Barnala, farmers blocked the Bathinda-chandigarh nation highway at Badbar toll plaza, Barnala-ludhaina NH at Sanghera village, Barnala-moga NH at Pakho and Barnala-mansa road at Handiay from noon till 2pm. In Patiala, the Chandigarhpatiala road was blocked near Rajpura, besides other state highways.
During a protest in Amritsar, Kisan Sangharsh Mazdoor Committee general secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher said Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar should resign on moral grounds as he has no right to continue on the post after the police action on farmers.
The Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta-ugrahan) staged protests at 56 places in the state and castigated the “shameful” act of the Khattar government.
In Jalandhar, the farmers blocked the PAP Chowk on the Jalandhar-ludhiana national highway. Similarly, the Kisan Majdoor Sangarsh Committee (KMSC) members blocked the national highway in Lohian Khas . KMSC president Salwinder Singh said the Haryana government must take action against the erring police officials.
Meanwhile, Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu also condemned the Haryana police action on farmers in Karnal.
“Deplorable assault on the protesting farmers is an attack on fundamental rights of every Indian...earned after innumerable
sacrifices during the freedom struggle, It impinges and impedes on the spirit of the Constitution and breaks the backbone of India’s democracy!!” he said in a tweet and also shared a video of “use of force” by police on farmers in Haryana.
Condemning the police action, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) declared to support the “Bharat Bandh” call by farmer unions on September 25.
In a statement, AAP’S kisan wing Punjab president and MLA Kultar Singh Sandhwan slammed the Haryana CM for indiscriminate violence against farmers. “The BJP will have to pay the price for such a repressive policy,” he said.
He also lashed out at Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh for alleged cane-charge on farmers in Amritsar.