The farmers’ union or the All-India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) released a detailed statement condemning the police brutality on the protesting farmers along the New Delhi border.
The farmers’ union or the All-India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) released a detailed statement condemning the police brutality on the protesting farmers along the New Delhi border.
Saying the brutality ‘exposed the true face of the most anti-farmer government in independent India’, the AIKS called the action ‘barbaric.’
“All India Kisan Sabha condemns the barbaric police action on protesting farmers at the borders of Delhi. The farmers have been peacefully marching as part of Kisan Kranti Yatra from Haridwar since September 23. They were to reach the Kisan Ghat on October 2,” the release said.
“Instead of allowing the farmers to enter the national capital to raise their demands, the insensitive BJP Government led by Narendra Modi imposed Section 144 and used force to stop them at the Ghazipur border. The police used brute force, lathi-charge, water cannons and teargas on the farmers at the UP Gate on National Highway 24 to disperse farmers. Delhi belongs to farmers too; the manner in which they have been stopped from coming to the National Capital to air their grievances is most undemocratic,” the statement added.
Claiming that the Narendra Modi-led government on one hand has tried to portray itself as pro-farmer by spending crores of rupees on its propaganda, the statement said, “On the other hand, it has dealt with farmers' protests and genuine demands in the most insensitive manner. State governments led by the BJP have also dealt with farmer protests brutally. BJP Government in Madhya Pradesh killed 6 farmers by police firing in Mandsaur in 2016. Earlier, there were killings of farmers in police firing in Assam and Jharkhand, both ruled by BJP. The BJP Government is mistaken if it feels that the use of brute force and repression will quell farmers' protests.”
BJP ally, the JD(U) was also critical of the violence meted out to the farmers. “Peaceful and unarmed farmers going towards Rajghat were brutally treated, they were lathi charged and teargas shells fired on them. We condemn this,” senior party member KC Tyagi said.
As Kisan Kranti March turned violent on Tuesday with police resorting to lathi-charge, water cannons and tear gas, Congress President Rahul Gandhi took a dig at the BJP government for 'thrashing' farmers on International Non-Violence Day.
"BJP's two-year-old Gandhi Jayanti celebration on World Nonviolence Day began with the savage thrashing of farmers peacefully coming to Delhi. Now, the farmers cannot even come to the national capital to express their pain!," Gandhi posted on Twitter.
Earlier during the day, adding fuel to the fire, political leaders including Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and other political leaders criticised the Modi government as the farmers' protest turned intense.
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