Farmers block highways after clashing with cops
Farmers claim over 50 of them sustained injuries in lathicharge while officials say 20 policemen, including a DSP and 5 women cops, hurt in incident
ROHTAK/KARNAL/AMBALA/ CHANDIGARH: Hours after Haryana Police resorted to lathicharge and lobbed tear gas shells to disperse a group of farmers who tried to march towards the venue where Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar was scheduled to inaugurate a Covid hospital in Hisar on Sunday, farmers blocked major state and national highways across the state.
While farmers claimed that over 50 of them sustained injuries in the lathicharge, a government spokesperson said over 20 policemen, including a DSP and five women cops, were also injured.
Protesters blocked the Delhichandigarh National Highway 44 at Bastara in Karnal, the Hisar-chandigarh highway in Kaithal, Kurukshetra-pehowa-paitala, Kurukshetra-kaithal highway, NH-44 on Ambala-patiala border , NH-73 on Ambala-yamunanagar highway and toll plazas in Karnal, Panipat and Shahbad, for two hours from 5pm to 7pm, forcing the authorities to divert traffic to link roads. In Hisar, police claimed some farmers hurled stones at them when they tried to stop them. Five police vehicles were also damaged by the protesters, they said.
Miscreants broke the barricades: Cops
“The miscreants broke the barricade installed on the canal bridge and threw it into the water. They also attacked DSP Abhimanyu Lohan under the Jindal overbridge. The injured cops are being treated at the civil hospital,” a police spokesperson said.
“Upon entering Chaudhary Devi Lal Sanjivani Hospital complex, the miscreants tried to run a tractor over policemen, thereby injuring them,” the spokesperson said, adding that five police vehicles were also damaged.
“The miscreants tried to enter the Covid hospital even after the inauguration was over,” he added.
Protesters also blocked the movement of police vehicles and said they will continue to protest until the farmer leaders asked them to disperse.
“Why did the CM have to visit Hisar to inaugurate the hospital, he could have done it virtually,” asked Haryana BKU (Charuni) president Gurnam Singh Charuni.
“The police resorted to lathicharge and used tear gas shells, besides using plastic bullets to disperse the farmers in Hisar. Many farmers received injuries,” Charuni said, alleging that despite the state restricting gatherings hundreds of people were allowed to gather for the hospital inauguration.
Charuni said the farm leaders had called a meeting in Hisar to decide further course of action.
“We will clear the road for ambulances, military convoys, fire brigade and tankers carrying oxygen. Farmers from Ramayana toll plaza will start marching towards the office of the Hisar IG and if our grievances are not accepted, we will start a dharna outside police stations across the state,” Charuni added.
BKU leader Rakesh Tikait said they had asked the Hisar IG to release 85 farmers detained by the police.
Karnal superintendent of police Ganga Ram Punia said that traffic had been diverted from the NH 44 via link roads. He said that there were no reports of violence, but the police have been deployed to deal with any law-and-order situation.