After day-long blockade, Hisar farmers reach agreement with administration

Deepender Deswal

Hisar, August 10

A day-long protest of farmers ended this evening following an assurance from the district administration to suspend a police official who got embroiled in a row with the farmers sitting on a dharna last night, and release of Rs 398 crore of insurance claims to those who had suffered crop failure during the 2021 and 2022 kharif season in the district.

The farmers, under the banner of Pagri Sambhal Jatta, have been staging a dharna at the Mini Secretariat in Hisar for the past nearly 70 days. Their demands include release of claims by Reliance General Insurance under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna (PMFBY) and compensation claims to farmers who had not got their crops insured under the PMFBY, but had suffered losses.

The farmers had given a call to gherao the Mini Secretariat today. However, last evening, Jitender, a police official, had a spat with some farmers. The video of the incident also went viral. Today, about 1,000 tractors from adjoining villages headed towards the town. However, the district administration blocked their entry. The farmers then blocked the road.

After five hours, the administration called a delegation of farmers for a dialogue. Mandeep Nathwan, president of the Pagri Samghal Jatta, said at a meeting with DC Uttam Singh and SP Ganga Ram Punia, it was decided to suspend Jitender. “The administration also got insurance claims of about Rs 100 crore settled and disbursed to the affected farmers,” he stated.