Randeep Singh SurjewalaAhead of the farmers’ protest march to Delhi against the Centre’s farm laws, Haryana Police on Tuesday took several farmer leaders into preventive custody in multiple night raids inviting sharp reactions from the opposition and the farming community.
Farmer leaders said that police conducted raids between 1 am to 3 am in the dead of the night and in some cases even scaled walls of homes to detain sleeping members of farm unions. CM Manohar Lal Khattar confirmed that “some farmer leaders” had been taken into custody by police, a move that the Congress described as “shameful”.
According to senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala, farmer leaders including Karam Singh Mathana, Satyawan Kathura, Kala Kanoh, Satyawan Narwal and Prahalad Singh Bharukhera were arrested from different parts of the state.
“All this shows how the government is afraid of the agitation of farmers,” said a farmer leader.
Police also conducted a raid at the Ratia residence of farmer leader Mandeep Nathwan in the midnight, but he was not at his residence that time.
Later, in a recorded video message Nathwan said, “The Khattar government is adopting an oppressive policy to stop farmers from moving to Delhi on November 26. Many of our leaders have been detained during raids that took place at 1 am. This agitation won’t be allowed to be suppressed. The farmers will go to Delhi in every circumstance.”
According to reports, police is also looking for Haryana Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) chief Gurnam Singh Chaduni, who is the main face of the farmers’ agitation in the state.
In a recorded video message addressed to the farmers, Chaduni said, “Friends, we had planned to move to Delhi from Shambhu Border of Punjab from November 25. But the government has arrested many of our leaders while others have gone underground and the police are chasing them day and night. Now, we have changed the plan. Now, we have planned to gather outside the Moda Mandi situated on GT road (NH-44 which connects Ambala to Delhi) at Ambala on November 25. The farmers from Ambala, Panchkula, Kurukshetra, Yamunanagar, Karnal and Kaithal will gather at this spot at 11 am. If police try to stop us, then we have to break the barricades. We have to reach the venue at every cost. We will see whatever happens. But no one from among us should attack policemen. No property should be damaged. We have to take care of these things. The farmers should come for a bigger agitation.” Chaduni also has urged the farmers to care for the agricultural fields of those leaders who have been detained by the police.
Opposition slams police action
Referring to farmer leader Sir Chhotu Ram, Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala said it is “shameful” that the state government took farmers into preventive custody on his birth anniversary. Legendary farmer leader Chhotu Ram was born on this day (November 24) in 1881.
“Is farmer a criminal? Have farmers committed a crime. Is the raising of voice by them for their rights a crime? The Congress demands that farmers should be allowed to march to Delhi,” he said.
Former CM and Leader of Opposition, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, too said arresting farmer leaders on the birth anniversary of Chaudhary Chhotu Ram was unfortunate.
Talking to the journalists after a meeting of Congress Legislative Party (CLP), Hooda said, “The arrests of farmer leaders when they were sleeping in their homes can’t be justified in any situation. The government should release these leaders as early as possible.”
Hooda said the treatment meted out to farmers was wrong as every citizen of the country has the right to raise their demand in a peaceful manner and agitate against policies that would harm them. “The legitimate demands of the farmers cannot be suppressed. Arresting leaders from their homes at night cannot be justified and the government should release the arrested leaders at the earliest,” he said.
Supporting the demand of farmers Hooda said that without the guarantee of MSP (minimum support price), the new law is not in the interest of farmers. “The Congress will come up with a proposal to amend the APMC Act (Agricultural Produce Market Committee Act) in the next assembly session. Last time the government had refused to consider this (in the Assembly), saying the proposal was not given 15 days ago, as mandated by law. This time a proposal guaranteeing MSP and provisions for punishment to those who buy the crop at a rate lower than the MSP will be sent a month before the session,” said Hooda.