Haryana farmers face water cannons as cops clear blockade on Delhi-Chandigarh highway
Charuni among eight farmer leaders detained during protest over demand of MSP for sunflower seeds; traffic restored after six hours following police action .
With multiple rounds of meetings with the Kurukshetra district administration failing to persuade protesting sunflower farmers to open the Delhi-Chandigarh highway (NH-44) near Shahabad, police resorted to lathi-charge and sprayed water cannons to disperse protesters.
Scores of farmers, who are demanding a minimum support price (MSP) for sunflower seeds, sustained minor injuries and were detained by the police.
Earlier, the NH-44 which connects northern India states and union territories to the national capital had remained blocked for more than six hours, leaving commuters to face the brunt.
The police action was in line with the Punjab and Haryana high court orders, which directed the government to clear the blockade.
Since the farmers laid siege of the highway around 1 pm, repeated warnings were given to them by the police, but farmers, led by BKU (Charuni) president Gurnam Singh Charuni, remained adamant on their demand to ensure that the government agencies start procurement of sunflower seeds at the MSP of ₹6,400 per quintal.
Following the Haryana government’s decision not to buy sunflower seeds at the MSP, Charuni called for farmers to reach Shahabad. Following a meeting, they decided to block the highway despite heavy deployment.
Protesters storm barricades
Led by Charuni, protesters stormed the barricades and blocked the highway by parking their tractor-trailers laden with sunflower seed. In the absence of government agencies, farmers alleged that they are being forced to sell their produce to private buyers at ₹4,000 a quintal against the MSP of ₹6,400.
District police diverted traffic via link roads, resulting in inconvenience to the commuters who were stuck in traffic jams in Kurukshetra and Shahabad for hours. Kurukshetra superintendent of police (SP) Surinder Bhoria said personnel had been deputed to assist commuters.
Situation under control: Police
Bhoria said most farmers detained during the police action were released soon after and only eight leaders including BKU (Charuni) president Gurnam Singh Charuni were in custody.
The SP added that police had to remove farmers after repeated requests made to them to remove the blockade came to nought. He said the movement of traffic had been restored and the situation was under control.
Protesting farmers removed from Ambala Cantt
Several farmers of another faction who were protesting at the grain market in Ambala Cantonment’s Mohra for the last four days were also removed by the police from outside the office of market committee on Tuesday.
Tejveer Singh, a spokesperson of Shaheed Bhagat Singh faction, said the state government has betrayed the farmers by not keeping their promise to procure the produce at MSP, adding, “The anti-farmers policies of the government have forced us to protest and now they are snatching our right to protest through force.”
Ambala SP Jashandeep Singh Randhawa said a case has been registered against the protesters, details on which would be shared later. “We don’t have any problem with their peaceful protest. Forces have been deployed to maintain law and order,” he added.
Protesters move to Yamunanagar
Following a call from Charuni, farmers went on to block the Ambala-Yamunanagar highway at Kail village in protest against the police action later in the day. They were, however, removed by the police and their efforts to return to the site thwarted amid police presence.
No blockade was reported in Ambala district till the time of filing the report.
Calls to intensify stir
Criticising the police action, meanwhile, BKU (Charuni) leader Sanju Gundiana, said the farmers were staging a peaceful protest, but were met with battens. “But the government cannot suppress this protest by using police force and the call has been given to intensify the protests by blocking highways in the state,” he added.
Demanding release of the detained farmer leaders including Charuni, protesters also blocked roads in parts of Kurukshetra, Karnal and Kaithal districts and have threatened to intensify the stir.
Farmer leader Rakesh Tikait, meanwhile, said that he will reach Kurukshetra on Wednesday and urged farmers to join him in the city in large numbers.
HAFED goes ahead with procurement
Haryana State Cooperative Supply and Marketing Federation Limited (HAFED) chairperson Kailash Bhagat on Tuesday visited several grain markets in Kurukshetra district to oversee procurement of sunflower seed at ₹4,800 per quintal, while they will get ₹1n000 per quintal additional under the Bhavantar Bharpai Yojana. He also assured that the payment of the procured sunflower seeds will be disbursed into the farmers’ bank accounts.
Farmers, however, maintain that they will incur losses of ₹10,000 to ₹12,000 per acre in the absence of the MSP.