Around 100 farmers, Yogendra Yadav & others detained for protest in Haryana city; later released

Besides Yadav, Haryana Kisan Manch chief Prahalad Singh was also taken into preventive custody and detained, Sirsa DSP Kuldeep Singh said. He said farmers were holding a dharna on a busy highway in Sirsa though the administration had not given them permission to protest at the site.

Swaraj India party president Yogendra Yadav and nearly 100 farmers were taken into preventive custody on Wednesday before being released in the evening in Haryana's Sirsa after agriculturists agitating against the Centre's new farm laws were evicted by the police from their protest site on a busy road. Besides Yadav, Haryana Kisan Manch chief Prahalad Singh was also taken into preventive custody and detained, Sirsa DSP Kuldeep Singh said.

He said farmers were holding a dharna on a busy highway in Sirsa though the administration had not given them permission to protest at the site. "The farmers had been allowed to hold their dharna on the Dussehra ground and we had asked them to move there and also had given them a choice to go to another site near Deputy Commissioner's office. However, they did not agree after which we took them into preventive custody," Singh said.

He said commuters were facing difficulty as the peasants were holding the sit-in protest in the middle of a busy road. The farmers were put in buses and other vehicles arranged by the administration and taken to a nearby police station. Police had on Tuesday used water cannons and tear gas to disperse the agitating 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, barely 200 metres from their protest site.

The farmers were seeking resignations of Dushyant, a JJP leader, and Ranjit, an independent legislator, from the Manohar Lal Khatar government over the three recently enacted farm legislations. While farmers belonging to 17 different organisations were part of the protest held on Tuesday, only a few continued to hold the dharna near the residences of the Chautalas a day later.

The protest site lies on the Sirsa-Barnala highway on the busy Baba Bhumman Shah Chowk. After being released, Yadav tweeted saying, “Finally, after 10 hours, everyone was released unconditionally. Farmers to resume their dharna. A small step for farmer activists, a big leap for farmers movement. Congratulations!” He said the farmers' fight will only get bigger from there.

In another tweet earlier, Yadav said, “Bhadra (Rajasthan) CPI(M) MLA Balwan Poonia addressed farmers outside Sirsa Sadar thana (police station) where we are still detained for the last 8 hours. I wish to thank Haryana Police for arranging so much support for our cause!” Along with Yadav, who is also All-India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee working committee member, Swaraj India's Haryana unit chief Rajeev Godhara was also detained by the police. Immediately after being detained, Yadav had 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 had said in another tweet. The farmers had 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".

“The police or administration cannot suppress the voice 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,” said a farmer who was at the protest site. Sirsa police officials Wednesday morning made announcements over loudspeakers, asking farmers to clear the protest site.

The agitating farmers, however, remained adamant after which they were evicted from the site by the police. Earlier, Haryana Bhartiya Kisan Union chief Gurnam Singh had said that while late Deputy Prime Minister Devi Lal always fought for farmers, both Ranjit Chautala and Dushyant Chautala were busy "enjoying pleasures of power" while "ignoring" farmers' interests".

"Both Dushyant and Ranjit Chautala are bringing disrespect to the name of farmers 'messiah' Devi Lal by misusing his name in the garb of the peasantry," Haryana Kisan Manch president Prahalad Singh said earlier. Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala and INLD leader Abhay Singh Chautala had condemned the use of tear gas shells and water cannons on protesting farmers by the police.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)