A young farmer, who became one of the enduring images of the farmers’ agitation last year before climbing a water cannon and jumping on a tractor-trolley during police action against protesters in Haryana, has been named in 14 FIRs. Is. , including the one where he is replaced with an assassination attempt.
Gurnam Singh Chaduni, president of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Chaduni), says that there are at least 42 FIRs registered against him.
Both are not an aberration. Thousands of farmers in Haryana have been booked for several “criminal offences” from sedition to attempt to murder during the year-long agitation against three controversial agricultural laws that began in Kurukshetra’s Pipli town. 10 September 2020.
Farmer leaders estimate that FIRs have been registered against 48,000 farmers during the agitation in Haryana. A senior police officer told Indian Express That around 200 FIRs have been registered.
An FIR was registered against “10,000/12,000 unidentified persons” at Dabwali police station in Sirsa district on November 27, 2020, when thousands of farmers were on their way to Delhi via Haryana. Sections 147 (rioting), 149 (unlawful assembly), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to prevent public servant from performing his duty), 353 (assault or criminal force to prevent public servant from discharging his duty) have been booked against these farmers. ), a case was registered under 186. Obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), IPC section 427 (causing damage), Epidemic Act and Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.
On the same day, another FIR was registered against “thousands of unknown persons” in Fatehabad district, under almost similar charges.
In the accused’s column, in several FIRs, the police have listed “lots of unknown mobs”, “innumerable unknown persons”, “any unknown persons, number not confirmed”, “40/50 unknown persons, number not confirmed” and 2/ 3 Unknown Girl”, “4 Unknown” Nihang Sikhs”, and “400-500 unknown persons”.
Most of the cases related to breaking of barricades and confrontation with police during protests against leaders of ruling party BJPThe farmers in the form of the JJP alliance had announced their “social boycott” over the issue of three agricultural laws. From the very beginning, farmers have insisted that cases were registered against them to “suppress” the movement, while officials say they acted in accordance with the law.
Navdeep Singh Jalbera (27), a farmer activist who came into limelight on November 25, 2020 for shutting down water cannons in Ambala, says: “I believe the police have booked 4- 14 FIRs including 5 have been registered. For murder, against me during the agitation. Other charges include road blockade, threatening an MLA and attacking an SHO. Many cases were also registered against my father Jai Singh Jalbera. Cases were also registered against my younger brother and uncle.
Apart from Jalbera, Chaduni was also booked on charges of attempt to murder. The police accused him of trying to crush the policemen with a speeding tractor-trolley by breaking the barricading of the police.
Jai Singh Jalbera was also named in a murder case during the farmers’ movement. The case was registered in connection with the death of a 72-year-old participant of BJP’s tractor rally at Narayangarh in Ambala district, which was organized to garner support in favor of agricultural laws. Farmers staged a sit-in protest against the BJP’s rally. Navdeep says that the murder charges were later dropped as the farmers had raised strong objections to the FIR calling them an attempt to suppress their voice.
Chaduni does not know exactly how many FIRs have been registered against him till now. He says: “I am sure there will be 42 FIRs registered against me.” Chaduni remains a central figure of the movement in Haryana. Following Chaduni’s 1.31-minute-long video message, farmers refused permission to Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s helicopter to land at Camla village on January 10 this year despite deployment of around 1,500 policemen and water cannons, tear gas and mild lathi-charge. was given. Then, the police registered an FIR against Chaduni and 70 others for “creating disturbances in the incident”, apart from several other charges. When he called the farmers to burn the effigy of the Prime Minister, some FIRs were registered against him. Narendra Modi as part of the movement.
However, the BJP-JJP government in Haryana faced a lot of criticism from the opposition after the police charged nearly 100 farmers with sedition at a protest against Assembly Deputy Speaker Ranbir Singh Gangwa in Sirsa on July 11, when some even threw stones. were go. towards his car. The farmers had alleged that they had no role in the stone-pelting, alleging that their opponents may have used elements to defame the movement.
The Sessions Court, Sirsa, while acquitting five farmers arrested by Sirsa Police for allegedly attacking Gangwa’s convoy, observed that “the highest offense under section 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide) of IPC is attracted in the present case” adding “In the present case the offense of sedition under section 124-A IPC is suspected”. Another FIR was registered against Sunil Gulia at Bahadurgarh police station in Jhajjar district for “uploading a video on social media in which he purportedly took an oath that if the government did not pay heed to the protesting farmers, So he will attack the government with a cannon.”
Now, when the talks have reached the final stage, the agitators want to withdraw all the FIRs before ending the agitation. “Later, there may be many excuses for not withdrawing the cases, such as the challan has already been filed in the court or the matter is not related to the farmers’ agitation,” said a farmer leader.
Yogendra Yadav, a prominent member of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha, said: “During this government and the previous governments, the farmers want to be doubly sure about this issue because of the bad experiences on the matters related to the movement.”
Now, with farmers’ unions demanding withdrawal of cases registered against him, Khattar had recently said that the issue would be taken up when the matter reached the final stage. He had said: “We will see the time when the whole world will move towards finality and what the central government will say. (This matter will be taken up when the whole matter reaches the final stage and we will see what the Center has to say).
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