Chandigarh, New Delhi: After crossing six police barricades, farmers have gheraoed the mini-secretariat in Karnal.
Earlier, as talks with officials failed, farmers had started marching towards the mini-secretariat.
An 11-member delegation of farmer leaders was earlier invited to hold talks with the district administration as protesters in large numbers assembled for a mahapanchayat.
A large number of farmers from across several districts of Haryana and the neighbouring states gathered in Karnal’s ‘anaj mandi’ on Tuesday following the call issued by SKM to gherao mini-secretariat of the district in protest against the police lathicharge on the farmers at Bastara toll plaza on August 28. Several farmers and police personnel had sustained injuries in the incident on August 28. The protesters also claimed that one farmer died due to the assault.
Balbir Singh Rajewal said that discussions with the district administration have failed despite three rounds of talks. He added that farmers will not break any police barricades, but will continue with their decision to gherao mini-secretariat. He further said that farmers will not indulge in any law and order disruption and in case cops try to stop them, they will court arrest.
Rajewal added that the Karnal Deputy Commissioner sought one month’s time to probe if SDM Ayush Sinha’s “objectionable words” actually led to police lathicharge. Rajewal said that the Karnal Deputy Commissioner was “adamant on defending” Sinha.
To maintain law and order, Haryana has suspended mobile internet services in Karnal, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Jind and Panipat districts from 12:00 am Tuesday to midnight 24 hours later (11.59 pm). As many as 40 companies of security forces, including 10 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), have been deployed in the town. Wary of the situation escalating, Karnal Deputy Commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav has issued prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC, which prohibits the assembly of five or more people.
