Protesting Haryana farmers transfer into police station, cow in tow

A STANDOFF between farmers and authorities in Tohana, in Haryana’s Fatehabad district, intensified over the weekend, with lots of of protesters shifting into the city’s Sadar police station and erecting a tent on the premises. Keeping them firm was an unwitting protester — a cow that one of many farmers had introduced alongside as a result of “there was no one back home to look after her”.
The protesters have been demanding the discharge of two farmers who have been arrested over a protest held on June 1 on the residence of Tohana’s JJP MLA Devender Babli. But with the 2 nonetheless in judicial custody, on Saturday, the farmers stepped up their protest with a number of of them, together with over 60 ladies, spending the evening on the two-acre police station campus. Farmer leaders Gurnam Singh Chaduni, Rakesh Tikait and Swaraj India president Yogendra Yadav additionally spent Saturday evening with the protesters. On Sunday, Punjab farmer chief Joginder Singh Ugrahan joined the farmers.
Through a lot of Sunday, protesters milled across the police station campus as a posse of policemen in riot gear stood watch. Some of the protesters sat on inexperienced carpets underneath the pink shamiana, chatting with one another and sometimes with the policemen on responsibility.

“Farmers from nearby areas have been supplying food and drinking water,” mentioned Mandeep Nathwan, one of many protesters on the thana.
As a part of their protest towards the Centre’s three farm legal guidelines, farmers have been turning as much as gherao leaders of the BJP and JJP — events which might be a part of the ruling coalition — every time they attend public programmes. On June 1, when Babli was on his strategy to attend a operate at a authorities hospital in Tohana, farmers had allegedly stopped his automotive. In the conflict that adopted, Babli’s private assistant sustained head accidents and the MLA car’s windscreen was smashed. Two FIRs have been lodged towards the protesters.
But by Saturday, the MLA introduced that he had “forgiven” those that attacked him and went on to apologise for the “abuses” he allegedly hurled in the course of the conflict. Farmers say the matter stands resolved and hope the 2 FIRs can be withdrawn.
But what stays a bone of rivalry is one other FIR filed the identical day, June 1, over a protest held in entrance of Babli’s residence in Tohana. As many as 27 farmers have been arrested in reference to this protest. While the others have been launched, two farmers are nonetheless in judicial custody. The agitators at Sadar Police Station are demanding the discharge of those two farmers.
On Sunday, with talks between farmer leaders and district-level administrative officers failing to yield something substantial, farmers determined to accentuate their protest. “The talks did not yield the desired results as the administration has not given any assurance on releasing our farmer brothers. We will continue to protest at the Tohana police station till they are released,” mentioned Suresh Koth, a farmer chief.
Reacting to the protesters’ demand, state Home Minister Anil Vij mentioned, “The farmers may approach the court as this is in the purview of the court.”
Yogendra Yadav advised The Indian Express: “It’s sheer arrogance on the government’s part that has created this situation. The MLA has already apologised and has agreed to take back his complaint. In the pending case against agitators, there is even no allegation of damage to property or violence. Even then the government did not agree to withdraw the case. Why is the government making it a prestige issue?”

With the talks failing, the protesters declared that from 11 am to three pm on Monday, they’d maintain related protests at police stations throughout the state. Farmers from 4 districts – Fatehabad, Hisar, Jind and Sirsa – are anticipated to hitch the protest at Tohana’s Sadar police station on Monday.
Sadar Police Station SHO Inspector Vinod Kumar mentioned they’ve deployed over 500 policemen to keep up legislation and order. “Our policemen remained alert the entire night to ensure that no untoward incident took place,” he mentioned.