Won’t give in, SKM warns Khattar government

Tribune News Service

Sonepat, August 28

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) on Saturday condemned the lathicharge on farmers in Karnal and termed it as brutal violence unleashed by the BJP-JJP government on the protesters.

The SKM demanded immediate dismissal of SDM Karnal Ayush Sinha, whose video went viral on social media in which he was reportedly seen giving orders to police personnel to “break the heads of protesters”.

The SKM members — Balbir Singh Rajewal, Darshan Pal, Gurnam Singh Charuni, Hannan Mollah, Jagjit Singh Dallewal, Joginder Singh Ugrahan, Shivkumar Sharma ‘Kakka’, Yudhvir Singh and Yogendra Yadav — in a joint statement said that this has happened in the Chief Minister’s constituency where farmers resisted the CM’s programme peacefully through their black flag protest.

Lathicharge without provocation

Many farmers were injured after the police lathicharged them without any provocation. Some even could be seen with blood all over their clothes. — Gurnam Singh Charuni, BKU leader

The government’s brutal action and illegal orders of the SDM to the police force are condemnable and have brought disgrace to our democracy, the SKM said.

While PM Modi was attending a Jallianwala Bagh virtual rally, the “Jallianwala Bagh” unleashed in Karnal is doubly shameful, the SKM added.

The SKM warned the Khattar-Dushyant Chautala government that farmers would not retreat and that the current historic movement cannot be suppressed by such barbaric acts of the anti-people government.

The government’s efforts at repression would only strengthen the farmers’ resolve and the peaceful movement. The struggle would only be intensified in the coming days, the SKM claimed.

Yogender Yadav, SKM member, said that soon after the incident, all members held a meeting over the phone and decided to block highways across Haryana.

Initially, it was decided to block the highways till 5 pm, but later, it was decided to do so till the release of the farmers detained by the police in Karnal, he added.

Besides, SKM leader Darshan Pal also released a video message in which he appealed to farmers to block highways against the Karnal lathicharge incident.

The police action drew protests elsewhere in the state when farmers blocked highways in Kurukshetra, Ambala, Panipat, Jind, Rewari, Narwana, Fatehabad, Sirsa, Kitlana toll, Gohana, Rohtak, Bhiwani, on the KMP as well as in Uttarakhand, the SKM claimed.

Farmers, commuters argue

Ambala: Hundreds of farmers blocked roads and national highways at nine locations in Ambala and Kurukshetra districts. Farmers in Ambala blocked the Delhi-Amritsar National Highway at the Shambhu toll plaza, and the Ambala-Hisar NH. In Kurukshetra, farmers blocked roads at seven locations, including the Delhi-Chandigarh highway in Shahabad, near Umri, Pehowa road, Ismailabad road, and Ladwa-Yamunanagar road. At some places, farmers and commuters were seen arguing due to the blockade.