Hindustan Times (Chandigarh)

134 farmers booked for murder attempt

- Neeraj Mohan neeraj.mohan@hindustant­imes.com

KARNAL: A day after the windshield­s of the vehicle of BJP’S Kurukshetr­a MP Nayab Saini and Thanesar MLA Subhash Sudha were damaged during a protest by farmers in Kurukshetr­a, police have booked 134 farmers under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) including attempt to murder charges.

As per informatio­n from the Kurukshetr­a police, nine farmers, including Jasbir Singh, Rajender Singh, Akshay, Dilbag Singh, Amrik Singh, Jai Bhagwan, Uday Singh, Jassa and Krishan Kumar, have been booked by name whereas 125 others have been booked under Sections 148 (rioting), 149 (unlawful assembly), 323 (voluntaril­y causing hurt), 307 (attempt to murder) and 341 (wrongful restraint), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidati­on) of the IPC for attack on the BJP leaders who were escorted out unharmed.

The FIR was registered on complaint of a sub-inspector of the Kurukshetr­a police who was deputed to monitor the security of the venue of BJP’S meeting at Saini Samaj Dharamshal­a.

However, police said no arrest has been made so far and the investigat­ion to identify farmers involved in the attack is going on.

Police had detained around 30 farmers after the protest on Friday evening but there are reports that they were released as hundreds of farmers gathered at Kurukshetr­a Police Lines and held a protest.

They had threatened to intensify the agitation if those detained were not released at the earliest.

Bharatiya Kisan Union (Charuni) spokespers­on Rakesh

Bains said they asked police to release the farmers who had no role in the attack and they were released late at night.

He said as of now, not a single farmer was in police custody. He slammed the government for misusing power and police to suppress their agitation by imposing Sections such as attempt to murder on the farmers.

Kurukshetr­a superinten­dent of police (SP) Himanshu Garg said investigat­ion is on and no arrest has been made so far.

On Friday, the MP and the MLA, along with other BJP leaders, had visited Kurukshetr­a to attend a meeting of BJP’S OBC Morcha.

The activists who were protesting for several hours had surrounded their vehicles and later windshield­s of two SUVS were found broken. The BJP leaders alleged that the protesters had pelted stones at their vehicles.

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