A farmer's rally (kisan mahapanchayat) organised on Sunday by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Hadadad village of Botad district turned violent, leading to stone pelting from the crowd and lathicharge and tear gas shelling from the police. The conflict left three police staff injured, including a Deputy Superintendent (DySP) who received lesser wounds, as well as a Police Inspector (PI) and a constable. They are said to be in serious condition after receiving head injuries. The mahapanchayat had been organised and was addressed by AAP leaders Raju Karpada and Pravin Ram, said a party spokesperson. However, it turned violent and both AAP leaders were said to be missing, as of Sunday evening. Botad SP Dharmendra Sharma told The Indian Express the process of detaining people was underway but couldn’t put a number to it. Notably, AAP leaders had been in Botad, raising the issue of farmers not receiving the price of Rs 1,300 per quintal for cotton produce at the local Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) in the district. As a part of raising this issue, AAP called a ‘kisaan mahapanchayat’ on Sunday. SP Sharma said, “No permission was taken by the AAP leaders from the police to hold any such sort of meeting and we had also spread awareness among the people not to congregate here for the same.” However, about 250-300 people had gathered in Hadadad village where the mahapanchayat was slated to begin at 5 pm. In a Facebook live video of the mahapanchayat, Karpada can be seen addressing the crowd congregated around him while sitting on the shoulders of a man, speaking into the microphone in the bylanes of the village. A day ago, he had addressed people in Botad town as well. AAP spokesperson Dr Karan Barot said the party’s leaders heading towards Botad district were detained by the police in respective jurisdictions, including the state chief Isudan Gadhvi, who was detained from near Bagodara, in rural Ahmedabad, while in a massive convoy with party workers. Speaking on the events in a video statement from an unknown location, Raju Karpada said, “The police removed protesting farmers from Botad APMC who were just demanding their rights. So we decided to hold a mahapanchayat at Hadadad village, which is 5 km outside Botad town. We decided to hold a peaceful meeting and make an appeal of the demands to the administration. However, the farmers were stopped from coming to Hadadad, they were incited and lathicharged as well.” Speaking of the conspiracy to cause violence in what he described was a peaceful gathering, Karpada said in the video, “Some people in civilian clothes with kerchiefs tied on their mouths, mingled in the crowd. At that same time, police vans arrive. These people pick up stones and attack the police vans. We had gone with a message of peace but an organised conspiracy was made to permanently shut the voices of the farmers. I appeal to the farmers and villagers of Hadadad that violence is not the way in Gandhi’s Gujarat. In spite of the incitement, the farmers kept patient. In the coming days too, we farmers must make sure that peace is maintained.” Regarding the conflict, SP Sharma said, “Some AAP leaders like Raju Karpada and Pravin Ram got into the village with workers and began instigating the people about how the police could detain them. All this happened without police permission. So, the police went to detain them. When the police reached the place of the gathering, they started pelting stones. Three staff were injured. They also overturned a police jeep and pelted a police bus. The police used about 20 tear gas shells.” The assembly dispersed thereafter and a police bandobast was put in place in Hadadad village. The police were on Sunday evening in the process of detaining people but officials said that Karpada and Ram had managed to leave the village. An FIR for unlawful assembly, rioting and other sections is likely to be filed at Paliyad police station.
