Republic Day case against farmers spanner in talks with Centre

Tribune News Service

Ruchika M Khanna

Chandigarh, February 26

The breakdown in talks between the Centre and protesting farmer unions, affiliated with the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (Non-political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, occurred reportedly not because of their demands for the MSP guarantee for all crops, debt waiver and fixing of prices of crops on the formula given by the Swaminathan Commission, but over the non-withdrawal of cases filed against some leaders in the January 26, 2021, Red Fort case.

The Centre had agreed to some of their demands made by the unions during the four rounds of talks held this month. These included the grant of Rs 10 lakh compensation to farmers injured in UP’s Lakhimpur Kheri, cancellation of most FIRs during the 2020-21 Kisan Morcha, compensation and jobs for family members of farmers killed in the Lakhimpur Kheri incident, improving the quality of seeds of all crops and revoking licences and imposing penalties on companies manufacturing and selling substandard seeds.

The Tribune has learnt that one of the contentious issues between the two sides was the cancellation of the FIR registered against leaders of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC).

The FIR was registered against Satnam Pannu, Sarwan Singh Pandher and others on January 26, 2021, at Bhalswa Dairy Police Station for deviating from the route allowed to farmer unions for a tractor march, while they were protesting against the three farm laws and attempting to reach Red Fort. The other leaders of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, who were spearheading the morcha, had then publicly distanced themselves from the events of the day.

The leaders of the KMSC were booked on charges of disobeying an order promulgated by a public servant, and unlawfully indulging in acts that could lead to the spread of a dangerous disease (Covid-19), under Section 3 of the Epidemic Disease Act and Section 51 of the Disaster Management Act.

Official sources present at the meeting have told The Tribune that Pandher had verbally sought the cancellation of this FIR along with other FIRs registered against farmers during the year-long protest. Pandher, however, has denied that he sought the cancellation of the FIR against him.

Three Central ministers who were talking with farmer leaders had reportedly said the FIR was for a crime considered as “heinous” and could not be cancelled due to this reason.

Farm leader denies charge

Neither I, nor any other leader sought the cancellation of the FIR. We only want a legal guarantee for the MSP on all crops. The state government is now siding with the Centre in creating this story about the KMSC seeking cancellation of the FIR against our leaders because they want to save the skin of AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal. — Sarwan Singh Pandher

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