Farmers wear black clothes to protest ‘paddy scam’ in state

Demanding a fair probe into the alleged multi-crore paddy procurement scam in Haryana, farmers under the banner of the BKU on Thursday took out a protest march and staged a dharna outside the Mini-Secretariat.

Dressed in black clothes to express their anger against what they termed a “black inquiry”, an alleged attempt by the government to cover up corruption, the farmers raised slogans against the authorities.

Led by BKU state president Rattan Mann, the farmers assembled at Jat Dharamshala and began a protest march. They accused a senior official posted at the state headquarters of involvement in corrupt practices. The protesters claimed that instead of taking strict action against the tainted officers, the government was assigning them key responsibilities, so encouraging large-scale scams in the procurement process.

After submitting a memorandum at the Mini-Secretariat, the farmers warned that unless a transparent and high-level probe was initiated into the paddy scam, the agitation would continue across the state.

Mann and other farmer leaders demanded that the entire paddy procurement process this season be investigated by a sitting judge of the High Court, and that FIRs be registered against all those involved in the scam. They also urged the government to release the pending price difference payments to the farmers who were underpaid below the MSP, and cancel the licences of the millers, arhtiyas, and officials found guilty of the irregularities.

Mann said the government was “testing the patience of the farmers” by shielding corrupt officers. “This fight is not just about one inquiry, it is a battle for the farmers’ dignity, hard work, and rights,” he stated.

He warned that if justice was denied, the farmers would take to the streets and launch a mass movement across the state. “Some bureaucrats, middlemen and political leaders have looted the hard-earned money of the farmers, and the government has done nothing about it,” he added.

Citing the data, Mann said major irregularities had come to light in paddy procurement. Despite a decline in production due to heavy rainfall, floods, and crop diseases, the state recorded an extra arrival of about 5 lakh metric tonnes of paddy this season compared to the same period last year.

“The proxy procurement has taken place in several grain markets of the state. No actual paddy arrived, yet its arrival, procurement and lifting were shown through fake gate passes, inflated entries, and document manipulation, causing huge losses to the government exchequer,” Mann alleged.

He further said Karnal district had reported serious irregularities, with paddy arrivals increasing by 1.6 lakh metric tonnes this season compared to last year, while neighbouring districts such as Kurukshetra and Ambala showed a decline.