Chandigarh: Clashes broke out between police and protesting farmers in Haryana on Saturday with the former trying to reach Karnal city to protest against a state-level BJP meeting chaired by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on holding local bodies elections.
At least 10 protesters were injured when they were cane-charged by the police to stop and disperse as they were forcing their way towards Karnal.
BJP state president O.P. Dhankhar was also present at the meeting in Khattar's hometown.
Reacting to the situation, Bharatiya Kisan Union's (Haryana unit) chief Gurnam Singh Charuni called for blocking all highways in the state to protest the use of force against the farmers.
"We slammed the state BJP government for using police force on farmers. I request all farmers to come out and block all highways in the state," Charuni said.
Reports of traffic disruption were received from Hisar, Jind, Bhiwani, Rohtak, Dadri, Fatehabad and Ambala.
The traffic bound for New Delhi from Amritsar was disrupted on the Shambu border in Punjab. Also the traffic bound for Uttar Pradesh via Ambala and Yamunanagar towns was impacted.
Samyukt Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body under which farmer groups have been staging protests against the farm laws, leader Darshan Pal urged farmers to carry out a road blockade at 5 p.m. and called for the release of those who were arrested during the clash.
Congress leader and two-time Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda condemned the lathicharge.
"The action on farmers at Karnal is undemocratic and inhuman. Everyone has the right to protest in a democracy. Governments are not run with fear of the bullet but by winning hearts," Hooda said in a tweet.
Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also slammed the Haryana government over the police action on protesting farmers.
Rahul Gandhi tweeted, "again blood of farmers has been spilled, India's head bows in shame," using the hashtag anti-farmer BJP. He also shared a picture of injured farmers on his Twitter handle.
So did Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. "Farmers with their hard work grow crops and the BJP government bleeds them by wielding batons. Each baton used on farmers will be a nail in the coffin of the BJP government," she wrote on the social media.
Randeep Surjewala compared the Khattar government with General Dyer and said that farmers are treated like Dyer had treated the people in Jallianwala Bagh.
Incidentally, the Haryana Police brutally thrashed farmers on the day when newly renovated Jallianwala Bagh Smarak was opened by PM Modi.
The BJP government and its leaders, mainly in Punjab and Haryana, have been facing farmers' ire against the three contentious agriculture laws that have triggered widespread protests, particularly on the borders of the national capital, where farmers have been protesting since November-end.
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