Haryana govt to withdraw cases against farmers

With the repeal of the three farm reform laws by the Centre and after a meeting that the representatives of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha had with Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Friday, the stage is set for ending the year-long farmers’ protests on the borders of Delhi.

SKM representatives told BusinessLine that the State government has agreed to withdraw all cases against the protesters registered at various police stations and courts across the State.

A formal decision on ending the agitation at the borders and taking the next step on pending demands such as a law for ensuring MSP, withdrawing draft amendments to the Electricity Act and compensation to farmers who died during the protests will be discussed in the general body of the SKM scheduled at Singhu border on Saturday.

Cases against farmers

A top functionary of the SKM told

BusinessLine that earlier the Haryana Chief Minister said a discussion with farmers is possible only after Saturday’s SKM general body. “But apparently after a direction from the Centre, the State Government has decided to withdraw the cases. We expect the Delhi Police and Uttar Pradesh Government too to announce its stand on the cases against farmers,” the leader said.

Meanwhile, an extended state level meeting of BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan), held in Tikri Border on Friday, resolved to continue the protests till there is a clarity on the Centre’s position on the pending demands. The organisation is of the firm view that the government’s focus is only to get the protests on Delhi borders withdrawn without any satisfactory resolution of the remaining demands. “The government is depending only upon unsubstantiated oral promises. Only a demand concerning the burning of straw has been accepted as this act has been decriminalised. All the other issues have not even been addressed,” he said.

The Opposition has also started putting pressure on the Centre to compensate the family members of those farmers who died during the protests. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi criticised the Centre for stating in Parliament that it has no record of farmers deaths during the protests.

Protestors’ deaths

“We did some homework and we have a list of 403 people, who the Government of Punjab has compensated ₹five lakh each and in 152 cases jobs have been given. We also have another list, where we have a hundred names of other people, not from Punjab, but from other States; and there is a third list, which is public information of names, addresses, phone numbers, which can easily be verified, so this list exists. But, the government insists on saying that such a list does not exist. What is the purpose?,” Gandhi said, and maintained he will table the list in Parliament.