Farmers, protesters and numerous political leaders were taken into preventive custody in Haryana on Wednesday. Swaraj India president Yogendra Yadav, Haryana Kisan Manch chief Prahalad Singh and nearly 100 farmers have been detained in Haryana’s Sirsa district, Sirsa DSP Kuldeep Singh said. The group was protesting the newly passed agricultural legislations.
Singh said that farmers were holding a dharna on a busy highway in Sirsa despite the administration not granting them permission. "The protesting farmers had been allowed to hold their dharna on Dussehra grounds and we had asked them to move there. However, they did not agree, after which we took them into preventive custody," Singh said adding that local commuters were facing difficulties as the dharna was being held in the middle of a busy road. The protest was being held on the Sirsa-Barnala highway near the Baba Bhumman Shah Chowk in Sirsa.
"Along with protesting farmers, I have been detained from farmers' protest site in Sirsa Been taken to Police Thana Sadar, Sirsa," Yadav tweeted. Yadav claimed that the Haryana government was rattled by farmers' questions and was bent upon using "brutal force to prevent dissent".
"I have been detained by Haryana Police for joining a peaceful dharna at Sirsa. Dharna site demolished. About 100 farmers and leaders arrested. Clearly, Haryana govt is rattled by farmers' questions, bent upon using brutal force to prevent dissent," Yadav said in another tweet.
Police had on Tuesday used water cannons and tear gas to disperse protesting farmers who tried to cross barricades and proceed towards the residences of Dushyant Chautala and his grand uncle and power minister Ranjit Singh Chautala in Sirsa. The farmers demanded the resignation of the minister over the recently enacted farm legislations.
While farmers belonging to 17 different organisations were part of the protest held on Tuesday, only a few continued protesting today. The farmers said they will carry on with their dharna for an indefinite period and force the centre to roll back the new farm legislations, which they dubbed as "anti-farmers.”
“Neither the police nor the administration can suppress the voices of farmers. They may ask us to clear this protest site, but our agitation against the farm legislations will continue and we will not rest till we force the government to revoke these laws,” a farmer, who was at the protest site said.
