
To stop farmers from burning crop stubble in Uttar Pradesh, the government has directed district administrations to take strict actions against erring farmers.
On Tuesday, six persons were arrested in Saharanpur for “breach of peace” after they were found allegedly involved in stubble burning despite objections by residents of the area. Station House Officer of Kotwali Dehat police station, Umesh Rohiya, said they were regularly raiding places after getting information of stubble burning. A week ago, police arrested five persons after they were caught by locals burning stubble.
In Hardoi, police on Tuesday lodged an FIR against 15 people for allegedly burning crop stubble. They have been booked under various sections of the IPC, including 278 (making atmosphere noxious to health), 290 (punishment for public nuisance) and 291 (continuance of nuisance after injunction to discontinue).
Sub-Inspector (Mallawan) Sompal Gangwar said they are yet to arrest them.
Two days ago, Varanasi police arrested a farmer for allegedly burning stubble at Jogiyapur village. Similar FIRs have also been lodged against half-a-dozen people in Mau and Azamgarh districts.
Meanwhile, the Congress has demanded immediate release of all the farmers arrested over stubble burning.
State Congress chief Ajay Kumar Lallu said that the state government was lodging cases and harassing farmers in the name of checking the menace of stubble burning. He claimed that 16 farmers had been sent to jail in Saharanpur alone over the past week, while “hundreds” of others forced to flee to evade arrest, adding that it was “deplorable”.
Lallu asked the government to stop the “atrocities” on farmers and instead take steps for resolving their problems, warning that the party would be forced to come onto the streets to protest against the alleged harassment of farmers.
With PTI inputs