Karnal admn gears up for Sept 7 kisan mahapanchayat

KARNAL: The huge gathering of farmers at Samyukt Kisan Morcha’s Muzaffarnagar rally has increased worry for the Karnal district administration as another such rally is proposed to be held here on September 7.

The Morcha leaders have decided to hold a rally in Karnal to protest the August 28 lathicharge on farmers, forcing the administration to issue a traffic advisory for the Delhi-chandigarh national highway. “People are advised to avoid traveling on NH 44 on September 7 as the movement of traffic on this highway may remain affected due to the farmers’ mahapanchayat,” read an advisory issued by Karnal district magistrate Nishant Kumar Yadav.

The administration also provided a list of alternative routes. The traffic will be diverted from Pipli of Kurukshetra and Pepsi Bridge in Panipat.

As per information, farmers will gather at the Karnal grain market and take out a protest march on the NH 44 before proceeding towards Karnal minisecretariat.

It is also learnt that additional police force from nearby districts have been called to Karnal amid reports that thousands of farmers from Uttar Pradesh and Punjab are likely to reach Karnal on September 7. The Karnal district magistrate has also issued directions to impose Section 144 on the day.

The farmers’ union had demanded registration of FIRS against IAS officer Ayush Sinha and police officials involved in the lathicharge, in which around 40 farmers sustained injuries. The farmer leaders gave a week’s deadline to the Haryana government to accept their demands, including a compensation of Rs 25 lakh and a government job to the next kin of a farmer Sushil Kajal, who farmers’ claimed died due to lathicharge.