Senior BJP leader Amarinder Singh on Sunday condemned the Haryana Police for the “barbaric act of violence” against a farmer who was injured during the ongoing farm protest at the Khanauri border. He also urged Haryana Chief Minister M L Khattar to take strict action against the erring policemen.
Farmer leaders too hit out at the Haryana Police over the injuries suffered by the farmer — Pritpal Singh — who is currently undergoing treatment at the PGIMER in Chandigarh. “I strongly condemn the barbaric act of violence committed by the Haryana Police on our young farmer Pritpal Singh,” Amarinder Singh, the former Punjab chief minister, said on X.
“I urge Haryana CM @mlkhattar to take strict action against the policemen who are guilty of badly beating up an unarmed youngster who was just serving langar to people,” he said. Farmer leader Baldev Singh Sirsa said Pritpal Singh was doing “langar seva” at Khanauri on the Punjab-Haryana border when he was allegedly dragged by the Haryana policemen.
“He was dragged from his tractor trolley, thrashed and later admitted to a hospital in Rohtak. But we got him shifted to PGIMER at Chandigarh,” he said. Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher on Sunday said Pritpal Singh has suffered multiple injuries.
“We strongly condemn the police action,” he said. Pandher further said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should come forward and accept the demands of the protesting farmers so that the deadlock in talks between the Centre and farmer leaders is broken.
The prime minister should also take action against policemen who indulge in such “barbaric acts”, he said. Punjab Chief Secretary Anurag Verma on Saturday wrote to his counterpart in Haryana, demanding that Pritpal Singh, who was initially admitted to PGI Rohtak, be handed over to the Punjab authorities.
“You are requested to hand over Pritpal Singh to Punjab authorities so that his treatment may be done in Punjab free of cost by the Punjab government,” Verma told his counterpart.
Shubhkaran Singh (21), a native of Bathinda, was killed in a clash in Khanauri last Wednesday when some protesters tried to head towards the barricades erected by security personnel.
Shubhkaran Singh’s cremation has not taken place yet as farmer leaders are demanding that the Punjab government order the registration of an FIR against those responsible for his death.
The fourth meeting between Union ministers and farmer leaders on February 18 ended in a stalemate.
The march, spearheaded by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM), was put on hold for two days after a protester was killed and around 12 police personnel were injured in clashes at Khanauri on February 21.
Two days later, the farmer leaders said the protesters will continue to camp at Khanauri and Shambhu on Punjab’s border with Haryana till February 29 when the next course of action will be decided.
KMM leader Pandher has said they will announce their next course of action on February 29. A meeting of the forums associated with the SKM (non-political) and KMM will be held on February 27 at the protest sites. A common meeting of SKM (non-political) and KMM forums will be held on February 28.
Thousands of farmers have been camping at Khanauri and Shambhu, about 200 kilometres from Delhi, along with their tractor-trolleys and trucks after their march to the national capital to press the Centre for various demands, including a legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) for crops, was stopped by security forces.
The Punjab farmers are also demanding the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations, pension for farmers and farm labourers, no hike in electricity tariff, withdrawal of police cases and “justice” for the victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence, reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013, and compensation to the families of the farmers who died during a previous agitation in 2020-21.
The protesting farmers are also demanding the agriculture sector be taken out of the World Trade Organisation agreement. On February 26, the farmers will burn effigies of the WTO and also of the Centre, farmer leaders said.
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