A large number of farmers in a convoy of hundreds of vehicles from Haryana’s Ambala reached the farmer unions’ protest site at Singhu border in New Delhi on Sunday. The unions claimed that more batches of farmers from Haryana were expected to join the protest sites in the days to come.
Led by Bharatiya Kisan Union (Charuni) president Gurnam Singh Charuni, the convoy, mostly comprising cars with black flags, set off from Ambala to reach Delhi border passing through Karnal and Panipat on the Delhi-Amabala highway. BKU’s spokesperson Rakesh Bains claimed that around 3,500 vehicles were part of the convoy. He added that another convoy of farmers from Haryana’s Panipat would join the protest site on June 10.
The Samyukt Kisan Morcha, in a press statement, claimed that a large number of protestors continued to pour into the protest sites at Singhu border, Tikri border, Ghazipur and other locations. “While the spin doctors of BJP continue to try to create an image of dwindling numbers at the protest sites, the government should know that quite the opposite is the case, and all protest sites are witnessing a huge surge of protestors joining the sites,” said the press statement.
Amid continued stalemate over withdrawal of cases against farmer leaders and their release in Harayana’s Fatehabad, the SKM has now given a call for a four-hour sit-in agitation outside police stations across Haryana on June 7.
Government’s arrogance
Swaraj India national president Yogendra Yadav, in a tweet, said that the government’s “intransigence” and “arrogance” had led to the failure of talks in Fatehabad’s Tohana. “SKM calls for 4 hour dharna outside all police stations in Haryana tomorrow. Farmers from 4 districts to converge in Tohana (sic),” said the tweet.
The SKM has made an appeal to the farmers from Sirsa, Fatehabad, Jind and Hisar, to assemble in large numbers at Sadar Police Station in Tohana to show collective strength, while farmers of other districts would protest at their respective local police stations.
Led by several SKM leaders, including Mr. Yadav, Gurnam Singh Charuni, Rakesh Tikait and Yudhvir Singh, hundreds of farmers have been camping at Sadar Police Station in Tohana since Saturday demanding the withdrawal of cases against farmer leaders and thr release of Ravi Azad and Vikas Sisar. The matter pertains to the farmers protest against Jannayak Janata Party MLA Devender Babli this past week.
The agitating farmers, including women, have pitched tents outside the police station and the SKM leaders have announced that they would not budge from the station until the two arrested farmer leaders are released and cases are withdrawn.
Several meetings have been held with the local administration, but there is no breakthrough. Mr. Yadav claimed that they held six hours of talks with the district administration since Saturday, but it remained inconclusive.
Blaming the government for the impasse, Mr. Yadav said the authorities were not willing to withdraw cases even against those who were not facing any allegations of violence.
Deputy Commissioner, Fatehabad, Narhari Bangar, said that dialogue was still on with the farmers and the authorities were hopeful of an amicable solution soon.
