Farmers’ organisations have voiced concern after learning that Haryana police filed three cases against demonstrators injured by a vehicle carrying a BJP MP last week, none of which were based on their complaints.
Farmers called off a protest after receiving assurances that the case will be investigated fairly. They had begun to congregate at the grain market in Ambala’s Naraingarh, alerting the police.
“We will act in accordance with any proof we obtain. Nobody will be treated unfairly. We won’t take any wrong step under any pressure,” senior police officer Anil Kumar said, adding “We have made all arrangements to maintain law and order.”
On Thursday, farmers in Haryana claim one person was hurt when a vehicle in a convoy carrying BJP MP Nayab Saini collided with a group of people who had assembled to protest against the center’s farm regulations.
According to the protesters, the police have filed three separate charges against the farmers who were holding the protest, but no First Information Report or FIR has been filed in response to their complaint.
The farmer who was injured was taken to a government hospital in Naraingarh, near Ambala, where the event occurred, and treated before being released.
He informed reporters that he was standing on the side of the road when he was struck down by the vehicle that followed the MP.
This came just days after a convoy of automobiles, including one owned by Union Minister Ajay Mishra and allegedly driven by his son Ashish, ploughed into a gathering of farmers conducting a peaceful protest in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri, killing eight people, including four farmers.
Ashish Mishra was detained on Saturday night, five days after he was charged with murder, raising major doubts about whether he was given special treatment because of his father.
For months, tens of thousands of farmers have been protesting on major highways leading to New Delhi, claiming that three new laws will undermine a long-standing process that guarantees farmers a minimum fixed price for their rice and wheat.
The government claims that the laws will assist growers in obtaining better pricing.
The demonstrations have gained traction in Uttar Pradesh ahead of a state assembly election next year, with a group of powerful farmer leaders increasing pressure on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government to reverse the legislation.
(With inputs from NDTV News – Topstories.)
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