Page 12 - Farmers' Protest

Around 100 Haryana farmers enroute to Chandigarh protest detained

Around 100 farmers from Haryana were taken into custody on Tuesday as they headed towards Chandigarh for a demonstration to seek compensation for losses caused by floods, police said. In Longowal in Punjab's Sangrur district, farmers continued their 'dharna' over the detention on Monday of some farm leaders who were going to the Union Territory of Chandigarh -- the joint capital of the two states -- for the planned demonstration. There was a clash with police when farmers tried to block a highway in the district. Security was tightened at the inter-state borders of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh in view of the protest in the Union Territory, while in Sangrur, some leaders of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) joined the protest there on Tuesday. In the Sangrur clashes a farmer had died after he came under a tractor-trolley, while five policemen were injured. Police have booked several farmers under the Indian Penal Code, including for attempt to murder. The Chandigarh protest was calle

Punjab farmers' protest: Security tightened at inter-state borders

Security has been stepped up at the inter-state borders of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh on Tuesday in the wake of a call by 16 farmer bodies to hold a protest here to seek compensation for losses caused by floods, officials said. In Chandigarh, security personnel have been deployed at all entry and exit points to prevent farmers from entering. A heavy deployment of force has also been made at Shambhu in Ambala located on the Haryana-Punjab border, they said. In Punjab's Rajpura, barricades have been put up while anti-riot vehicles and a CCTV vehicle have also been deployed. Sixteen farm bodies, including the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, Bharti Kisan Union (Karanti kari), BKU (Ekta Azaad), Aazaad Kisan Committee, Doaba, BKU (Behramke) and the Bhoomi Bachao Mohim, had given the call for staging a demonstration here to seek compensation for losses caused by floods. Farmers are demanding a package of Rs 50,000 crore from the Centre for damages caused by floods in the northern

Farmers, workers protest against Centre's 'pro-corporate policies'

Farmers, agricultural labourers and industrial workers on Wednesday took part in a nationwide protest organised by different organisations against the "pro-corporate policies" of the BJP-led government at the Centre, said an outfit of cultivators which participated in the agitation. The protest coincided with the 81st anniversary of the Quit India movement. The agitation's slogan was "Corporate Looters, Quit India, Quit Agriculture. In an official release here, Ashok Dhawale, president, All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), said lakhs of peasants and workers came out on the streets to send a resolute message against the "corporate-communal nexus". Demonstrations and rallies were held across the country by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) and the Joint Platform of Central Trade Unions (JPCTUs). The AIKS, Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) and All India Agricultural Workers' Union (AIAWU) coordinated the programme. Rallies were taken out in Churu (Rajasthan), Bhiwani (Haryana), Solapur and

Karnataka HC imposes a fine of Rs 50 lakh on Twitter for non-compliance

The court has also refused Twitter's request to stay the Centre's orders to block some accounts on its platform with tweets related to coronavirus and farmers' protests

Farmers end protest in Pipli after assurance of 'appropriate price'

Farmers protesting over the MSP for sunflower seeds at Pipli in Haryana's Kurukshetra called off their agitation on Tuesday night after an assurance from the state government of "appropriate price" for the crop. Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait said after fresh talks with the district administration in the evening, the farmers have ended the protest and the national highway blockade in Pipli has been lifted. Kurukshetra Deputy Commissioner (DC) Shantanu Sharma told PTI that farmers have been assured of "appropriate price" for sunflower crop. Sharma said the Haryana government always stands by farmers. "Either by increasing (crop) rate or 'bhavantar' rate, it is the Haryana government's decision to ensure right price of the crop and we will do this," he said. The DC also said Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had promised setting up of a unit for processing 20,000 metric tonnes for sunflower in Shahabad and it will soon be fulfilled. Talking to reporters here, Tika

Protesting farmers keep NH in Haryana's Kurukshetra shut for second day

Protesting farmers, demanding procurement of the sunflower crop at the MSP as announced by Centre and release of arrested agitators, continued with their protest on National Highway-44 in Pipli

Chandrasekhar slams Twitter ex-CEO Dorsey's comments on farmer protest

"This is an outright lie by @jack - perhaps an attempt to brush out that very dubious period of Twitters history," said the Minister in his tweet

Congress demands answers on ex-Twitter CEO's claim of pressure from Centre

The Congress Tuesday demanded answers from the Modi government after ex-Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey claimed the platform was threatened it would be shut down unless it complied with orders to restrict accounts critical of the government during the farmers' protest. The Centre has, however, rubbished the charges, saying Dorsey's Twitter regime had a problem accepting the sovereignty of Indian law. In a tweet, Congress general secretary Randeep Surjewala said, "The Modi Government forced Twitter to shut down accounts of Farmers and Farmer's movement, shut down accounts of journalists critical of Government, or Twitter and its employees would be raided". "This is what Twitter Co Founder and Ex CEO Jack Dorsey admits in a TV interview. Will Modi Government answer," he asked. He also shared clips from a TV interview in which Dorsey levelled the allegations. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh too took to Twitter, saying, "During the farmers agitation the cowardly BJP government threatened to shu

MSP demand: Delhi-Chandigarh highway remains blocked, farmers to meet

Farmers blocking the national highway in Pipli in Haryana's Kurukshetra district over the demand for MSP for sunflower seeds will hold a meeting on Tuesday to mull their future course of action after two rounds of talks with the district administration failed to yield any outcome. Farmers have blocked the highway (NH-44) near Pipli, which connects Delhi with Chandigarh, and some other routes since Monday afternoon after holding a mahapanchayat on the issue. Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait said they held a meeting with the district administration twice on Monday night but the talks did not yield any outcome. He said a local committee of farmers that was constituted on Monday and the leaders of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) would hold a meeting on Tuesday to chalk out their further course of action. Tikait said the issue of Minimum Support Price (MSP) for sunflower crop is not only affecting farmers in Haryana but the entire farmer community "as we are demanding a M

Ex-Twitter CEO Dorsey alleges pressure from India, Centre denies claims

Dorsey said that the threats came as Twitter refused to comply with the government's demands to block accounts during the farmers' protests in early 2021

Farmers still battling cases registered during protests against farm laws

Cases against 1.48 lakh farmers who staged agitation against the Centre's three new farm laws have still not been withdrawn contrary to the government's promise, said Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) leader Shiv Kumar Sharma said on Monday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the repeal of the three farm laws on November 19, 2021, after a year-long farmers' agitation on the borders of Delhi. Popularly known as "Kakkaji", Sharma is a member of the coordination committee of the SKM and the president of the Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor Mahasangh, a part of the outfit. Talking to reporters here, Sharma said FIRs were lodged against 1.48 lakh farmers in different states during the farmers' agitation against the new farm laws. "The government had promised us after the end of the agitation that all these cases would be withdrawn within 30 days, but these cases are still going on. I myself and a large number of farmers are compelled to go to court for these cases, he said. Sharma termed the

Protesting farmers give ultimatum to Haryana govt, warn of massive rally

A day earlier, the arrested farm leaders were produced before a court that remanded them to a 14-day judicial custody

BJP's 'anti-farmer' attitude to the fore again in Kurukshetra: Congress

The Congress on Wednesday said the BJP's "anti-farmer" attitude has come to the fore again in Kurukshetra with the police lathicharge on farmers protesting against sunflower seeds allegedly not being bought at minimum support price, as it reiterated its demand of legal guarantee for MSP to the tillers. In a swipe at the government, the Opposition party said the 'Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan' slogan given by former prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri has been overturned by the current dispenation into 'Mare kisan, pite kisan, jai dhanwan' (Farmers die, farmers beaten up, hail the rich). Three farmer leaders were detained and several of their supporters rounded up after farmers blocked a highway near Shahabad, Kurukshetra, in Haryana, for over six hours on Tuesday demanding that the government procure sunflower seeds at the minimum support price (MSP). The blockade also affected vehicular movement on the Delhi-Chandigarh and Delhi-Ludhiana-Amritsar routes. Police used water cannons and resorte

Farmers' Shahabad protest: BKU chief Charuni, 8 other leaders arrested

Nine leaders of Bharatiya Kisan Union (Charuni), including its president Gurnam Singh Charuni, were arrested after farmers blocked a national highway, demanding that the government procure sunflower seeds at the MSP, police said on Wednesday. After being detained on Tuesday evening, nine BKU (Charuni) leaders were arrested after a case was lodged under various IPC sections, police said. Charges pertaining to rioting, unlawful assembly and using of criminal force to deter public servant from discharging his duty have been slapped against them, they said. The farmers led by Charuni had blocked the highway near Shahabad here for over six hours on Tuesday. The police used water cannons and resorted to lathicharge to disperse the protesters. Superintendent of Police, Kurukshetra, S S Bhoria told PTI that besides the nine BKU (Charuni) leaders, over two dozen protesters, who had been rounded up in connection with the farmers' protest, were released last night. The nine arrested BKU ...

Workers, farmers descend at Ramleela Maidan to decry Centre's policies

Several left wing trade unions held a rally here in Ramleela ground on Wednesday with hundreds of workers and farmers in a show of solidarity against the BJP-led central government's alleged disregard of their basic needs and loss of livelihoods. The Masdoor-Kisan Sangarsh rally was held by the Centre of Trade Unions (CITU), All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), and All India Agricultural Workers Union (AIAWU). The leaders speaking at the rally warned the government that the rally was an indication of the surging anger of the workers of the country, an official statement from the collective said. Hundreds of workers, farmers, and agricultural workers from different parts of the nation, including Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, UP, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala, Karnataka, Assam, Tripura, Manipur, Gujarat, participated in the rally, the statement said. The workers demanded from the government policies that allow access to education, healthca

No more farm fires

Govt must not let agri protests escalate

Farmers urge govt to fulfil commitments as they descend at Ramlila Maidan

Later in the day a 15-member delegation of SKM also met agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar in the capital and submitted their charter of demands

Amid protest, Shinde, Fadnavis to meet Maha farmers' representatives today

The farmers have been holding a long foot march from Nashik to Mumbai in a bid to put forward their demands before the government

Lakhimpur Kheri case: SC grants eight-week interim bail to Ashish Mishra

The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted eight-week interim bail to Union minister Ajay Kumar Mishra's son Ashish in the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence that had left eight people dead. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and J K Maheshwari directed that Ashish shall not stay either in Uttar Pradesh or in Delhi during the interim bail period. On October 3, 2021, eight people were killed in Lakhimpur Kheri district's Tikunia where violence erupted when farmers were protesting against the then deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya's visit to the area. According to the Uttar Pradesh Police FIR, four farmers were mowed down by an SUV in which Ashish was seated. Following the incident, the driver of the SUV and two BJP workers were allegedly lynched by angry farmers. A journalist also died in the violence. The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court had on July 26 last year rejected the Ashish Mishra's bail plea. He had challenged the high court's order in the apex court.

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