The legislation on recovery of damages to property, recently enacted by the Haryana Assembly, came under fire from activists associated with several mass movements at a State-level convention held in Rohtak on Friday.
‘The Haryana Recovery of Damages to Property During Disturbance of Public Order Bill, 2021’ was passed by the State Assembly on March 18, giving powers to the police and executive towards recovery of damages to property from protesters of an agitation.
The Speakers at the convention, organised by Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), attacked the Bill calling it a “draconian” measure to stifle the right to protest.
All-India Kisan Sabha Haryana vice-president Inderjit Singh put forth a resolution critical of the Act and called upon all sections of the people to raise their voice for repealing the pernicious Act whose implications were very serious for the future of democracy.
The decisions taken in the convention included sending emails to the Chief Minister against the law, holding protest demonstrations and sit-ins on April 8 to mark the hurling of bombs in Central Assembly by Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt in 1929 against similar legislations brought by Britishers and protest before the Raj Bhawan.
All-India Lawyers Union president Gurmej Singh and advocates Rajender Singh and Pradeep Raparia placed a point-to-point rebuttal of the law questioning the intentions of the government behind the move as there were ample laws for damages to property under the Indian Penal Code.
