Farm Bill Row: Tear Gas, Water Cannon Used As Protests Intensifies

Farm Bill Row: Tear Gas, Water Cannon Used As Protests Intensifies

Thousands of farmers protested against the Centre's new farm laws as part of their "Delhi Chalo" protest March call where they are trying to reach Delhi through five highways connecting the national capital.

The All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC), Rashtriya Kisan Mahasangh and various factions of Bharatiya Kisan Union have joined hands and formed a "Samyukta Kisan Morcha" to press the central government to scrap the three farm laws. It has the support of over 500 farmer organizations.

The farmers, after a two-hour clash near Punjab and Haryana, flung barricades into a river and threw bricks at cops and physically pushed vehicles to enter Haryana. The BJP-ruled Haryana has been using heavy force to try and block farmers from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Kerala and Punjab who are making their way towards Delhi in tractors and on foot.

Water cannons and also tear gas were used at least twice to disperse them and stop them from going to Delhi. Section 144 of the CrPC was also imposed in Haryana to prevent assembly of protesters. Nearly 100 farmers have been put under "preventive custody".

While the AAP-led Delhi government has refused to allow any kind of rally in the city due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal however took to twitter and criticized the police for using water cannons on the farmers.

"The farmers are protesting against all three laws by the centre. Instead of taking this bill back, the farmers are being stopped from protesting peacefully. Water cannons are being used on them. Such kind of injustice on farmers is not fair. Peaceful protest is their constitutional right," he tweeted.

The three laws – the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act 2020 – took effect from September 27 after President Ram Nath Kovind's assent.

The Centre said that the farm laws will bring farmers better opportunities and usher in new technologies in agriculture.

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