JJP snubbed, Haryana CM denies lathicharge on farmers

Sushil Manav
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, September 21

In an indirect snub to his deputy Dushyant Chautala, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today made it clear that there was no lathicharge on agitating farmers in Pipli and some cops merely exercised their right to self-defence when some persons on tractors wanted to run them over.

Dushyant Chautala, not enjoying the best of relations with Home Minister Anil Vij, had “condemned” the “lathicharge” despite the latter’s repeated denials. His younger brother Digvijay Chautala had, on behalf of the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), apologised for the “police action”.

Accompanied by state JJP president Nishan Singh, Digvijay had on September 17 gone to the extent of saying the lathicharge was not on farmers, but on Devi Lal’s family.

Khattar, who attended an event organised by the state unit of the BJP today, made it clear that no lathicharge was ordered and the police did not lathiiharge farmers during their protest in Pipli on September 10.

“People need to understand what exactly a lathicharge is. When a magistrate accompanying the police issues orders, the police resort to a lathicharge. If a group of protesters attack cops, who in turn use a little force to save themselves, it is exercise of the right to self-defence. In this case, some elements tried to run over the cops by breaking barricades and cops exercised their right to self-defence,” Khattar said.

“This was merely a one-off incident and does not come under the definition of lathicharge,” he pointed out. Without naming Dushyant, the Chief Minister said it was not good for anyone to blow small incidents out of proportion.

“I can understand that one has to say certain things to please farmers, but that does not mean one should blow small incidents out of proportion,” he added.

Asked whether there would be a probe into the “lathicharge”, Khattar said, “What I am doing now before you is a probe. It has been proven that it was a small incident, where some cops exercised their right to self-defence against people on tractors who tried to harm them physically by running them over. There was no lathicharge.”

Digvijay had on September 18 claimed that Dushyant Chautala had met Khattar to discuss the issue and a probe would be held into the “lathicharge”.

The Chief Minister’s statement today came as loss of face for Dushyant and a shot in the arm for Vij, who had been maintaining throughout that there was no lathicharge.