Cops use force to remove farmers after HC says maintain free flow of traffic on NH-44

“At the same time, the administration shall exercise utmost restraint and would use force to disperse the mob collected at the spot, only as a last resort”.

Meanwhile, a farm union leader from Kurukshetra, Parminder Kamboj, alleged that the police used water cannons and resorted to lathicharge when the farmers were sitting on the highway peacefully. According to Kamboj, farmer leaders including Chaduni, Karam Singh Mathana and Rakesh Bains have been detained.

Kurukshetra DC Shantanu Sharma said: “The farmers did not listen to the appeal of the administration to open the highway despite informing them about the High Court orders. The police force was used when no option was left”.
He said normal traffic has been restored on the NH-44.

Hundreds of farmers had gathered at the NH-44 near Shahabad after a call was given by Chaduni.

“We decided to block the highway after we did not get any positive response from the government in connection with our demands,” Chaduni said before he was detained.

The farmers claimed that the government was not buying sunflower seeds at the MSP of Rs 6,400 per quintal, and as a result, they were being forced to sell their produce to private buyers at around Rs 4,000 per quintal.

BKU leaders said the government neither increased MSP for the sunflower crop this year nor was it providing the MSP declared last year. “Also, the government plans to procure only 50,000 quintals, whereas the state has produced 3 lakh quintals sunflower seeds this year,” said a BKU leader.

Earlier, the state agriculture and farmers welfare directorate in an official communication said that the state government has decided that “support will be provided to all registered and verified sunflower area/farmers similar to the Bhavantar Bharpai Yojana-bajra template and decided to provide interim support of Rs 1,000 quintal for the time being.”

Not happy with the government’s response, Chaduni had given an ultimatum to the government to accept their demands or face a road blockade on June 6. The BKU said it will continue the agitation till its demands are met.

Earlier in the day, high court had taken up for hearing an application filed by Advocate Randeep Tanwar, through counsel Padmakant Dwivedi. The applicant, a resident of Ajrana Kalan in Kurukshetra submitted that following a HC order and on an assurance given by the Kurukshetra’s Deputy Commissioner to protect the produce in the grain market from rains, BKU leaders had lifted a blockade on NH-44 on September 24, 2022.

The petitioner contended that the BKU has threatened that in case the purchase of produce of sunflower crop is not initiated at the earliest, they would block NH-44 and a large mob has already gathered at Shahbad. The applicant also played some video clips in the court.

The applicant contended that the road blockade could lead to serious law and order problems and the situation could get out of hand. It was also informed that the BKU was not adhering to the interim directions issued by the high court on September 23, 2022.

The petitioner sought directions to the official respondents to take necessary steps so as to prevent the situation from getting out of hand, more so, since NH-44 connects the country right from Jammu and Kashmir to Kanya Kumari.

The bench while issuing a notice to the Haryana government said, “In view of the averments made and material on record, this court deems it appropriate to issue directions to the official respondents to ensure that NH-44, which is the life-line of the country and connects the length and breadth of India, be kept open for free flow and movement of the traffic, without any hindrance, so that the public at large, is not put to any kind of inconvenience”.

The matter was adjourned to June 13, 2023, with directions to the Chief Secretary to submit a report qua the steps taken in pursuance of the above directions alongwith the status report, on the date fixed.

Following reports of lathicharge, farmers at different places in Haryana including in Rohtak and Hisar gathered to oppose the police action. Sources say the farmers also blocked roads at several places for some time and may again come to the roads on Wednesday to express their resentment against the police lathicharge.

The opposition leaders including former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Rajya Sabha MP Randeep Singh Surjewala condemned the police action on the farmers.

Five Congress MLAs – Jagbir Malik, Geeta Bhukkal, Shamsher Gogi, Varun Mulana, Shaili Chowdhary and Amit Sihag — sought answers from the BJP-JJP government on the issues ranging from MSP of crops to compensation to the farmers in lieu of their damaged crops.

Jagbir Malik said: “Instead of giving MSP, the government is tinkering with the Bhavantar Bharpai Yojana. This scheme first destroyed vegetable growers, then bajra farmers and now it has been imposed on sunflower farmers. In the absence of the procurement at MSP, the sunflower farmers are facing a loss of more than Rs 2,000 per quintal. In order to plunge the farmers into more losses, the government is constantly promoting imports and reducing exports,” Malik pointed out.

Meanwhile, a government spokesperson Tuesday said that the smooth procurement of sunflower crops has begun in the state adding that the farmers won’t face any type of problems in the procurement.

According to Kamboj, farmer leaders including Chaduni, Karam Singh Mathana and Rakesh Bains have been detained. Kurukshetra DC Shantanu Sharma said: “The farmers did not listen to the appeal of the administration to open the highway despite informing them about the High Court orders. The police force was used when no option was left”. He said normal traffic has been restored on the NH-44.

Hundreds of farmers had gathered at the NH-44 near Shahabad after a call was given by Chaduni.

“We decided to block the highway after we did not get any positive response from the government in connection with our demands,” Chaduni said before he was detained. The farmers claimed that the government was not buying sunflower seeds at the MSP of Rs 6,400 per quintal, and as a result, they were being forced to sell their produce to private buyers at around Rs 4,000 per quintal.

BKU leaders said the government neither increased MSP for the sunflower crop this year nor was it providing the MSP declared last year. “Also, the government plans to procure only 50,000 quintals, whereas the state has produced 3 lakh quintals sunflower seeds this year,” said a BKU leader.

Earlier, the state agriculture and farmers welfare directorate in an official communication said that the state government has decided that “support will be provided to all registered and verified sunflower area/farmers similar to the Bhavantar Bharpai Yojana-bajra template and decided to provide interim support of Rs 1,000 quintal for the time being.”

Not happy with the government’s response, Chaduni had given an ultimatum to the government to accept their demands or face a road blockade on June 6. The BKU said it will continue the agitation till its demands are met.

Earlier in the day, high court had taken up for hearing an application filed by Advocate Randeep Tanwar, through counsel Padmakant Dwivedi. The applicant, a resident of Ajrana Kalan in Kurukshetra submitted that following a HC order and on an assurance given by the Kurukshetra’s Deputy Commissioner to protect the produce in the grain market from rains, BKU leaders had lifted a blockade on NH-44 on September 24, 2022. The petitioner contended that the BKU has threatened that in case the purchase of produce of sunflower crop is not initiated at the earliest, they would block NH-44 and a large mob has already gathered at Shahbad. The applicant also played some video clips in the court.

The applicant contended that the road blockade could lead to serious law and order problems and the situation could
get out of hand. It was also informed that the BKU was not adhering to the interim directions issued by the high court on September 23, 2022.

The petitioner sought directions to the official respondents to take necessary steps so as to prevent the situation from getting out of hand, more so, since NH-44 connects the country right from Jammu and Kashmir to Kanya Kumari. The bench while issuing a notice to the Haryana government said, “In view of the averments made and material on record, this court deems it appropriate to issue directions to the official respondents to ensure that NH-44, which is the life-line of the country and connects the length and breadth of India, be kept open for free flow and movement of the traffic, without any hindrance, so that the public at large, is not put to any kind of inconvenience”. The matter was adjourned to June 13, 2023, with directions to the Chief Secretary to submit a report qua the steps taken in pursuance of the above directions alongwith the status report, on the date fixed.

Following reports of lathicharge, farmers at different places in Haryana including in Rohtak and Hisar gathered to oppose the police action. Sources say the farmers also blocked roads at several places for some time and may again come to the roads on Wednesday to express their resentment against the police lathicharge. The opposition leaders including former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Rajya Sabha MP Randeep Singh Surjewala condemned the police action on the farmers.