In Haryana's Kheri Chopta, a gathering of farmers took a violent turn on Friday as police resorted to firing tear gas and detaining leaders amidst the escalating tensions. The assembly had drawn thousands of participants following calls from farmers' unions and khap panchayats, urging them to join a march towards the Khanauri border.
Responding to these calls, the Hisar police deployed a significant contingent alongside support from paramilitary units, aiming to preemptively maintain peace and order in the area. However, the situation quickly deteriorated when law enforcement personnel fired tear gas to disperse the gathering, leading to the subsequent detention of farmer leaders and a further heightening of tensions between the two sides.
The escalation culminated in incidents of stone-pelting by the farmers, exacerbating an already tense scenario.
Expressing grievances over the clashes at the Punjab-Haryana border, Abhimanu Kohard, President of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Naujwan), lamented the loss of a farmer's life and accused unidentified individuals, allegedly police personnel in civilian attire, of inciting violence among the farmers. Kohard likened the actions of the Haryana Police to that of "General Dyer."
In an interview with India Today TV, Kohard mourned the death of Shubhkaran, emphasizing his familial connections and announcing plans to commemorate February 21 as the Martyrdom Day of Shubhkaran. He reiterated the farmers' demand for a legal guarantee for the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for their crops, calling on the Prime Minister to fulfill his promise in this regard. Additionally, Kohard raised concerns over the lack of justice for the victims of the Lakhimpur Kheri incident and criticized the alleged actions of the Haryana Police. He urged authorities to provide evidence if they accused farmers of attacking them and questioned the identity of individuals in civilian attire who reportedly vandalized vehicles.
