THOUSANDS MARCH IN PATNA OVER FARM LAWS, LATHICHARGED

PATNA: Police resorted to mild lathicharge and fired water canons on the farmers who had assembled in the state capital for their march to Raj Bhawan on Tuesday. The agitating farmers, who broke the lock of Gate number 6 of the historic Gandhi Maidan and began their march to Raj Bhawan via busy Dak Bungalow crossing were stopped midway.

The farmers are protesting the three controversial farm laws passed by the Centre in

September. Eyewitnesses said thousands of farmers, under the banner of Akhil Bharatiya Kisan Sangharsh Samanvay Samiti and other Left parties, had assembled in Patna since early morning and began their march from the historic Gandhi Maidan.The farmers at about 10am broke lock of Gate number 6 of the Gandhi Maidan and also the barricade near the maidan and began marching towards Raj Bhawan via Dak Bungalow crossing to which police objected and resorted to mild lathicharge. Police also fired water cannons on the marching farmers. The busy Dak Bungalow crossing witnessed chaotic scenes when the protesters ran helter-skelter. The protesting farmers carrying banners and placards raised slogans against the Centre and the state government. Earlier, Akhil Bharatiya Kisan Mahasabha, affiliated to CPI (ML), state secretary, Ramadhar Singh, said besides the farmers the sharecroppers also participated in the Raj Bhawan march. He said the huge assembly of the farmers showed their second revolution against the government. “In the first protest against the zamindari system, the farmers had shown their unity and now against these three controversial laws the farmers of the whole country are up in arms,” he said.