Farmers gathered at Palwal in Haryana before heading for ‘Delhi Gherao’ on February 21. (Express)
Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) on Wednesday announced that the 35 farmers, arrested in Radaur (Yamunangar) on February 23 when they were going for “Delhi gherao”, won’t seek bail even as Haryana Police dropped the attempt to murder charge against them. The farmers are still lodged in Yamunanagar jail as there are other cases lodged against them under the Indian Penal Code. BKU, Haryana unit, president Gurnam Singh Chaduni said the farmers won’t apply for bail as they were arrested “illegally”.
“The farmers did not block the road. The farmers would like to stay in jail till the time the government withdraws the case.” Inspector General of Police Mamta Singh said the attempt to murder charge was dropped on Tuesday. “The farmers had blocked the road and we had to resort to a mild lathi charge when they did not disperse despite repeated warnings,” she said.
Meanwhile, taking strong exception to the incident, Leader of the Opposition Abhay Singh Chautala criticised the Haryana government for its “highhandedness and undemocratic methods” to deal with protests. Chautala accused the Haryana government of “becoming a tool in the hands of the Union government in suppressing the rights of the farmers for peaceful protest”.
“Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had willfully misled the Parliament and people by claiming that the MSP for rabi crops was already being paid in conformity with the Swaminathan Commission recommendations, i.e. 50 per cent profit over the cost of production. In addition, it was said that soon the MSP for the kharif crops too would be paid in accordance to the said formula. But, since this was far from truth, the farmers from all over the country were exasperated and agitated. In the circumstances, the only democratic action was protesting in the national capital from where the wild claim of the government had emanated,” said Chautala.
He also condemned the “claim of Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar that no farmer was stopped, only tractors were, since they violated the Motor Vehicles Act”.
“The fact that most of the farmer leaders were detained almost 24 hours earlier proves that the state government, in a planned manner, was determined to deny the farmers of their democratic and constitutional rights. Rubbing salt into their wounds, the anti-farmer Haryana government had arrested many of them in Yamunanagar and filed attempt to murder charges against them though they borne the brunt of police lathis and plastic bullets,” he said.
For all the latest Chandigarh News, download Indian Express App
Get assembly election result LIVE updates from each constituency in Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya
