Farmer leaders hit out at BJP; upset at PM remarks
COPS MAINTAIN KILLING DUE TO PERSONAL ENMITY
GHAZIABAD: Farmer leaders lashed out at the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) at UP Gate on Saturday They were particularly upset at the remarks Prime Minister Narendra Modi made in Parliament.
This assumes significance with local body elections scheduled for March in Uttar Pradesh and assembly elections in the state and Uttarakhand next year. Both states have a BJP government.
The farmer leaders and members under the banner of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella group of more than 40 farmer unions, many of which are influential, spoke at the event. “We will not fight with the police or administration officers. The people of the BJP have attacked us in order to disrupt our agitation. If these BJP people come to your village or in neighbourhood villages and hold rallies or come to seek votes, then you should give them same treatment that they dished out to us,” Haryana Bharaitya Kisan Union (Chaduni) chief Gurnam Singh Chaduni told the gathering at the UP Gate on Saturday.
He said that people should not vote for anyone who did not support the farmers’ agitation, from panchayat to parliamentary elections. “We agitate only when it becomes unavoidable. Now, that you have started the agitation and you should defeat the BJP in such a manner that the next one who comes to power should consider your demands beforehand,” said Chaduni.
Other prominent farmer leaders Darshan Singh, Balbir Singh Rajewal along with Bhrataiya Kisan Union (BKU) national spokesperson Rakesh Tikait were also present at the dais. They did not contest Chaduni’s statements.
The farmers leaders also
spoke on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s use of the term “andolanjeevi” in the Parliament on January 8.
The Prime Minister had used the word “andolanjeevi” in his reply to the motion of thanks on the President’s Address in the Rajya Sabha.
“I have noticed that for some time, a new jamaat has been born; a new community has come forward. That is andolanjeevi (those who live off protests). If there is a lawyers’ protest, they are seen there; if there is a students’ agitation, they will be seen there; if there is a protest by labourers, they will be seen there...” the PM had said.
Two days later, he clarified his remarks in the Lok Sabha. He said that the farmers’ protest was sacred but had been hijacked by andolanjivis who demonstrated with pictures of those jailed for terrorism.
“We are fighting for our demands, but we never heard the government use such words for us. You heard the PM earlier calling us “annadatta (food giver)”, but now he described us with words like “andolanjeevi” and “parjeevi (parasite)”. A framer who grows crops and feed people has now become a
Rajewal said.
He said that the words left a lasting scar on farmers. “If any BJP leader or worker comes to you, you should remember these words,” Rajewal said.
BJP leaders from UP said that the people would remain with them. “Everyone saw what happened at Red Fort on Republic Day. Farmers’ agitation is pavitra (sacred) for us but this was not the farmers’ agitation. The PM has already kept all facts about the new laws in both the Houses. In UP, the entire opposition was defeated in 2019 and now they are trying for 2022. In fact people who are politically reduced to naught are the andolanjeevis and now, when they were exposed, are upset about it,” said Chandra Mohan, spokesperson and state secretary of BJP – UP. “The workers of the BJP always remain with people. The government has brought in the farm laws keeping in mind benefit of farmers and common man. The farmers in UP trust the PM and are with him.”
GREATER NOIDA: As many as 12 passengers of a private bus were injured in a six-vehicle pile-up on the Yamuna Expressway on Saturday morning due to dense fog.
According to police officials, the pile-up took place when vehicles crashed into a stationary truck about 11km from the zero point under the Dankaur police jurisdiction. The incident was reported around 7am when a call was made to police helpline by a passenger.
“The truck, which was parked in the second lane of the expressway, was undergoing repairs. Due to the heavy fog and reduced visibility, a private double decker bus first crashed into the truck followed by an SUV, a car, another SUV and one more bus, which caused a pile-up on the expressway,” said Firoz Khan, senior sub-inspector, Dankaur police station.
He said that the private bus was travelling from Lucknow to Delhi and all the 12 people who sustained injuries were its
passengers.
“Injuries of two passengers were minor and they were discharged after receiving first aid. The others are currently undergoing treatment at two separate hospitals, but they are out of danger,” said Khan.
Police said that so far no complaint has been filed in the matter, but due action will be taken if a case is registered.
The pile-up created traffic congestion on the Yamuna Expressway which was cleared within an hour, said police.
On January 16, four people had sustained injuries in a vehicle pile-up on the Eastern Peripheral Expressway (EPE) under the Kasna police jurisdiction due to low visibility.
On December 7 last year, more than two dozen people were injured in separate vehicle pile-ups due to dense fog on two expressways -- Yamuna Expressway and EPE -- near Dankaur in Greater Noida. Both the incidents had taken place between 2am and 7am, police had said.
NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police on Saturday said that the murder case of Mangolpuri resident 25-year-old Rinku Sharma has been transferred to their crime branch that will look into the allegations levelled by his family members and the local police’s theory that the crime was a result of personal enmity.
Sharma, who worked as a lab technician at a private hospital, was stabbed while returning home from a birthday party on Wednesday night.
The murder of the 25-year-old had taken communal colours on Friday, with some leaders from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stating on social media that Sharma was collecting money for construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.
The tension that has gripped the neighbourhood since, continued on Saturday with a group of people allegedly attacking the house of one of the suspects despite deployment of extra security personnel to prevent any untoward incidents.
The family of Sharma on Saturday also refuted Delhi Police’s theory of the murder having happened over personal enmity, and stated that Sharma had a tiff with the arrested persons last year because of his links with Hindu groups. Sharma’s brother, Mannu Sharma said his brother was associated with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal.
Additional deputy commissioner of police (outer) Sudhanshu Dhama did not comment on Saturday’s mob attack at the suspect’s house despite multiple attempts.
Five persons, identified as Mohammad Danish,36, Mohammad Islam,45, Zahid,26, Mohammad Mehtab,20, and Tajuddin,39, have been arrested in the case, even as Sharma’s family members have alleged that five-six more persons were involved in the killing.
“We are happy that the case has been transferred to the crime branch. Local police cooperated with us but they could not have solved this case. At least a dozen people were involved in my brother’s (Rinku) murder, but only five were arrested. We hope the crime branch will do a fair investigation” said Mannu Sharma.
On Saturday, a crime branch team, along with forensic experts, visited the crime scene, lifted evidence, and met Sharma’s family members. According to Mannu, the crime branch officials took names of the persons involved in his brother’s murder from his family members.
A police officer, who did not wish to be named, said the crime branch team will look into all angles related to Sharma’s murder and will once again record the statements of his family members, eyewitnesses, and other people related to the case. It will also examine all the video footage pertaining to the crime.
On Friday, the police had said that Sharma and the accused were known to each other for a long time, and had got into a fight at a party over the shutting down of a mutual friend’s restaurant.
The row escalated and Sharma was stabbed on Wednesday night. Sharma’s family members have, however, maintained that some of the accused had fought with him last August because of his links with Hindu groups.
Some leaders from the BJP — including Kapil Mishra and Delhi unit chief Adesh Gupta — had said on social media on Friday that Sharma was collecting money for construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. Mishra even linked the killing to the collection drive, as posts demanding “justice” for Sharma gained traction through the day. Gupta and party MP Hans Raj Hans also visited Sharma’s house, as did AAP MLA Rakhi Birla.