Eyewitnesses, while speaking to Indian Express, described the operation as sudden and forceful. Amrik Singh of the Bharti Kisan Union (Sidhupur) recounted, “The police came at 2:30 am and broke the fibreglass wall of the temporary room where Dallewal ji was sleeping. When he refused to open the door, they forcibly entered and took him to an undisclosed location.”

While speaking to IE, Singh added that over 250 officers participated in the operation, locking the farmers in their huts or trolley homes to prevent resistance. Balpreet Singh, a close associate of Dallewal, described the swiftness of the operation: “I was held back by the police and couldn’t even reach my phone to document what happened. Within two minutes, they had taken Pradhan ji (Dallewal).”

Sarwan Singh Pandher, coordinator of the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM), criticised the heavy-handedness of the security forces. “This joint operation by the Punjab Police, Haryana Police, and central forces is a blatant violation of our constitutional right to protest. We strongly condemn these actions and demand transparency regarding Dallewal’s whereabouts.”

Despite assurances from Dr Nanak Singh, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Patiala, that Dallewal was moved for medical reasons due to his age and cancer diagnosis, farmer unions remain sceptical. They claim that the act was a deliberate attempt to disrupt their movement on Constitution Day, a day that symbolises the protection of fundamental rights, including the right to protest.

Farmers’ demands and the context of the protest

Jagjit Singh Dallewal, had announced on November 25 regarding his decision to launch a fast-unto-death protest. This protest was aimed at pressing for the implementation of a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Prices (MSP) for crops—a long-standing demand of Indian farmers. This announcement coincided with the fourth anniversary of the historic farmers’ protests that began on November 26, 2020, against the now-repealed three farm laws.

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) have accused the government of failing to engage with farmers on critical issues since February 18, 2024. Key demands of the protesting farmers include:

• Implementation of the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations for fair pricing.
• Farm debt waivers and pensions for farmers and agricultural labourers.
• Compensation for families of farmers who lost their lives during the earlier 2020-2021 protests.
• Justice for victims of the Lakhimpur Kheri violence of 2021.
• Reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013, and withdrawal of police cases against protesting farmers.
• Prevention of electricity tariff hikes and measures to support small-scale farmers.

Despite months of demonstrations at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points since February 2024, the government has made no progress in addressing these demands. As the government continues to stall, the frustration among farmers has intensified.

More about the February farmers protest can be read here.

Intensifying the struggle and the question of fundamental rights

The forcible removal of Dallewal has provoked widespread anger among farmer unions. In response, the BKU (Sidhupur) and SKM (non-political) have called for farmers to gather in large numbers at the Khanauri border. Additionally, Chetavni rallies (warning rallies) have been planned across 500 districts in India, with central trade unions joining the movement. A Delhi Chalo march has also been scheduled for December 6, 2024 starting from the Shambhu border, further raising the stakes.

Union Minister of State Ravneet Singh Bittu has shifted the blame entirely to the Punjab government, led by Bhagwant Mann. “This was orchestrated by the state police. The Centre has always supported farmers and would not resort to such actions,” Bittu claimed, though his statement has done little to placate the agitated farmer community.

This incident raises fundamental questions about the erosion of democratic principles, especially on Constitution Day—a day meant to reaffirm commitments to justice, liberty, and equality. The right to peaceful protest, enshrined under Article 19 of the Indian Constitution, has been repeatedly challenged in recent years, particularly when it comes to mass movements like those led by farmers. The use of force to suppress dissent reflects an alarming trend of undermining civil liberties, as highlighted by the unannounced and forceful detention of Dallewal.

The protestors assert that such actions will only strengthen their resolve. Farmer leader Dallewal, before being detained, stated, “I am ready to sacrifice my life for this cause. This fight will continue until the government addresses our demands.” As the agitation gains momentum, the larger question remains: will the government respect the constitutional right to dissent, or will it continue to view protests as a threat to be quelled by force?

Separate ongoing protests against forced land acquisition by UP government

Farmers affected by forced land acquisition under various Uttar Pradesh governments gathered today, on November 26, in a massive Kisan Mahapanchayat outside the offices of the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority (GNIDA). For over two years, these farmers have been engaged in a sustained struggle, demanding the return of the 10% developed plots they were promised but never received.

The Mahapanchayat, organised under the banner of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), brought together farmers from more than 200 villages in Gautam Buddha Nagar district. The event marked the launch of a renewed fight for justice, with active participation and leadership from the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) in the region.

Farmers who suffered forced land acquisition by different UP governments and have been demanding return of promised 10% developed plots for the last two years in a near continuous movement converged today in a mega Kisan Mahapanchayat outside the Greater Noida Industrial (1/n) pic.twitter.com/wCwFNJmF2m

— AIKS (@KisanSabha) November 25, 2024

Listen to Comrade Pushpendra Tyagi, CKC member of AIKS explain why farmers have gathered in such a massive way today outside Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority’s office today. pic.twitter.com/yYbQuEmss9

— AIKS (@KisanSabha) November 25, 2024

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The post Farmers’ leader detained forcefully on Constitution Day as protests for delivering guarantee on legal MSP intensify appeared first on SabrangIndia.

They made the appeal at a press conference in Hubballi, Karnataka on Sunday.

At the press meet, Badagalpura Nagendra and T.N. Prakash Kammardi said: “We are here to appeal to the farming community to vote against the BJP in the elections to be held on May 7. We urge farmers, labour, women and the common man to teach a lesson to the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections.”

“The BJP-led NDA government at the Centre has followed anti-farmer policies, whether it be about land acquisition, contract farming, land revenue reforms, privatisation of APMCs, failing to legalise MSP and taking away land of tribal people and small farmers to be distributed to industries at throwaway prices, denying the implementation of the Swaminathan report and other anti-farmer initiatives,” they said.

Leaders Sunilam and Suresh Kauth said that the Modi government tried to crush the farmers agitation and had tortured farmers who had arrived from across the country, in Delhi.

“As many as 752 farmers died during the agitation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is going around talking about the Congress planning to take away the mangalsutra of women, did not seem to be bothered about the mangalsutra of the wives of these farmers,” they said.

“Mr. Modi often chants the mantra of doubling farm income, but what he has done instead is to double the expenses of farmers. He has hiked the prices of seeds, fertilisers and agri-equipment by taxation and wrong policies. He promised empowerment of the poor but profited the rich instead. When we spoke of our rights, he adopted lathi-cracy shunning democracy,” they said.

Vijoo Krishnan and Avatar Singh Mehma asserted that agricultural crisis has worsened in the last 10 years with the suicide of over 1.74 lakh farmers across the nation. He said that the real number was even bigger as the NCRB did not add the suicides by landless labour, women farmers and tribals.

Balakrishnan and Rayala Chandrashekhar said that when the country was gasping for breath during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Union government passed anti-farmer laws that would have presented the entire farm sector to the corporate companies on a silver platter.

Related:

‘Kisan Mahapanchyat’ to be held outside Parliament on March 20: Samyukta Kisan Morcha

‘Kisan Satyagraha’, a visual diary of a year-long, historic struggle that forced a regime to withdraw three anti-farmer laws

The post Samyukta Kisan Morcha: Appeals to farmers to vote against the BJP appeared first on SabrangIndia.

This article presents an overview of the international obligations India has and the reasons behind the farm unions’ call for withdrawal from the organisation.

What is the World Trade Organisation?

The Organisation of a result of the Uruguay Round of Multilateral Trade Negotiations, signed in April 1994. The Uruguay Round was part of a prior multilateral trade agreement called the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). Essentially, a multilateral-meaning that it involves various nations- agreement called GATT was signed post World War II and it evolved into the Marrakesh Agreement of 1994 and thus establishing WTO.

What role does World Trade Organisation play?

As the name suggests, it works to establish and negotiate the rules of international trade and make sure that the rules are followed by the member states i.e., countries. For example, to make sure that products produced anywhere in the world have a minimum safety agreement, the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Agreement is in place-putting minimum standards to work, across the world.

What are the agreements under the WTO Framework?

The WTO framework covers:

1. Goods via the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and other multilateral agreements such as Agreement on Agriculture, Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures etc.
2. Services via General Agreement on Trade in Services
3. Intellectual Property via the Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights

How does WTO impact agriculture sector across the World?

WTO is primarily a pro-market framework which uses its stature and consensus mechanism to enforce a free market movement of goods including agricultural goods. This means that it wants agricultural goods to be imported and exported across the world according to the supply and demand, without any player distorting trade. The Agreement on Agriculture (AoA) is the primary instrument that guides the international trade framework for agricultural commodities. It has three pillars- domestic support, market access and export subsidies.

What do the three pillars mean?

First, AoA aims to phase out trade distorting domestic support.

For example, if Brazil supports its coffee farmers so much that the coffee it exports to the world can be sold at cheaper rates, farmers of other coffee producing countries like Vietnam will find it difficult to sell their coffee at reasonable prices since Brazilian Coffee is cheaper. If not for the Brazil government’s support to its farmers, both coffees would have competed on faired grounds in the international markers. Essentially, one of the aims of WTO vis-à-vis agriculture is to phase out those subsidies and such domestic support by the governments so that trade is not distorted.

Second, AoA is part of the framework which aims to regulate trade restriction such as tariffs on imports. Tariff is a tax or a duty that a country levies on the imports for allowing them to be sold in the country. It earns revenue to the state but also increases the price of the imported goods. Prior to WTO framework, countries used to restrict the amount of i.e., the quantity of goods that can come into country-called import quotas. This import Quota is called a Non-Tariff Barriers (NTB) since there is no tax/duty levied but the restriction is in not allowing the goods to be sold in the country in the first place. The WTO framework prohibits Non-Tariff Barriers in agricultural goods barring some exceptions.

Third, Export Subsidies are incentives that the government gives its exports and other such direct incentives-contingent on exports. This could be in the form of Direct Payments to exporters on the basis of volume of the goods exported, or in the form of Export Credit Guarantees where government provides insurance against non-payment of the foreign buyers for the exports. The WTO framework prohibits most subsidies linked to volume of exports except for LDCs.

Should governments not support their farmers?

According to the WTO framework, support is not prohibited but trade distorting support is. For example, under PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana (PM KSNY), the Indian government assists eligible landholder farmers by providing them Rs.6,000 per year in three instalments. This is a direct benefit transfer, not conditional upon any crop farmer produces or the volume of the crop. There is no limit, under the international regime, on how much can be spent on PM KSNY. These types of measures that does not cause trade distortion, or involves funding research, training, marketing, promotion, infrastructure, domestic food aid etc. are called Green Box measures.

Then there are “trade distorting measures” such as the Minimum Support Price (MSP)-which is linked to production i.e., the more the farmer produces, the more money she gets. MSP is a product specific measure i.e., there exists a specific MSP for each eligible agricultural commodity and that MSP varies across commodities. However, other measures like fertiliser subsidy, seeds and electricity subsidy etc. are also supportive of the total production in the country. The total monetary value of both product specific and non-product specific measures is called the Aggregate Measurement of Support (AMS)-otherwise referred to as Amber Box. The commitment at the WTO by all nations is to reduce the amount of AMS.

Moreover, the total AMS should not be more than 10% of the total production value of the Agricultural Product, for developing countries and should not be more than 5% for the developed countries. For example, rice production in 2019-20 was $46.07 Billion and the subsidies in that year were $6.31 Billion which is 13.7% of the total value and a 3.7 % more than the De Minimis 10 percent. This is a breach of subsidy limit and questions have been raised by other countries on this breach.

Essentially, there is no limit on non-trade distorting support but with respect to trade distorting support, 10% of total agricultural production value.

How is Food Security related to WTO Agreement on Agriculture?

In India, for Food Security act purpose i.e., to distribute free or subsidised grain as food aid to the poor, procurement is done from the farmers at MSP. If a country needs such procurement to be done on higher scale, it will have to spend more on MSP, and this stands the risk of breaching the 10% De Minimis limit since MSP is a trade distorting measure. This was the prime discussion point in the WTO Ministerial Conference in 2013 and later culminated into the Bali Peace Clause.

The Bali Peace clause stated that no country would be legally barred from the food security programmes, for four years even if the subsidy breached the limits specified in the Agreement on Agriculture. Later, this peace clause secured an indefinite extension.

Why are farmers calling for a Withdrawal?

There are three issues of farmers that have been left unresolved for decades- one is a legal guarantee on the Minimum Support Price for all crops, the implementation of Comprehensive Cost of Production and 50% more as the formula for MSP, and a loan waiver. This means apart from the 24 crops for which MSP is in force today, more crops will have to be added. However, there is an impediment for such addition.

The MSP currently in force is covered by the combination of both De Minimis and the Bali Peace clause. However, the peace clause only extends to those MSP programmes that existed prior to 2013 and the programmes covering the new crops as the farmer demands will not be covered thus resulting in breach of WTO commitments.

Farmers are calling for a withdrawal since it would give India the liberty to provide as much as MSP to as many crops as needed without being under pressure from the WTO.

What is the government’s stand?

While the progress of talks/ discussions between the protesting farmers and the government has not been swift, India has made its stand clear, at the 13^th Ministerial Conference of the WTO held in Abu Dhabi in February 2024, on the permanent solution to Public Stockholding and did not concede space in agriculture and fisheries over demands to reduce subsidies. However, it is important to note that the successive governments have been failing to achieve a permanent solution for the Bali Peace Clause despite agreeing to various agreements and proposals by the developed countries.

Conclusion

While it might not be practically possible to exit WTO or Agreement on Agriculture due to it potentially having a ripple effect on other WTO agreements involving other goods and services, it is necessary that WTO’s unfair system against the developing nations be resolved. For example, an American farmer gets a support of more than $7000 as support, an EU farmer gets $1000 as support whereas an Indian farmer $49 as support. This gap is possible due to the rules of WTO which favoured the mighty more when they were drafted. For example, if a developed country provided trade distorting support of $1 Billion in the base year of 1986-88, they were allowed an exemption of 5% of such $ 1 Billion. Developed countries have always provided high amounts of domestic support but the developing country let us say, was providing trade distorting support of only $100 Million, the 10% of such $100 Million will be lesser than 5% of $1 Billion. Therefore, the developing countries have been finding it hard to support their farmers like the developed countries do. With international cooperation and better alliances, India should position itself in a space to gain uncompromising and favourable outcomes for its farmers.

(The author is part of the organisation’s legal research team)

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The post Farmers’ demand to ‘Quit’ WTO explained: Elections 2024 appeared first on SabrangIndia.

This is reminiscent of the farmers’ protest of the year 2020, while the country was grappling with corona virus, farmers of India were protesting against the controversial farm laws that had been introduced by the Modi government, demanded for its repeal. Their protest of one year, which also saw the union and the state government employing repressive and violent tactics and resulting in the loss of many protestors, , had reaped results with the union government taking back the three laws in November of 2021. The farmers, who had welcomed the decision with opens arms on the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, had even then said that their fight is far from over as their union government is yet to address their demands.

It is essential to highlight here that on the evening of February 8, a three-membered team of Union ministers, namely Piyush Goyal, Arjun Munda and Nityanand Rai, had held a detailed discussion with the leaders of farmer organisations. As per the Week, the said meeting had also saw the attendance of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. As stated by Jagjit Singh Dallewal, representing the farmers union, “We had a meeting with the Government today. The meeting was held in a positive atmosphere, Punjab Govt took the initiative. We presented all our demands in detail, with facts…The government listened to us & said that they will examine all our facts seriously.”

It was also provided by the leader that while the union ministers have assured them that they would hold a second round of the meeting soon, their proposed ‘Delhi Chalo’ march on February 13 still stands.

“Our programme for 13th February will continue as it is”, Dallewal had asserted.

The second meeting with the same three union ministers is to be held today, on February 12, at 5 pm in Chandigarh as provided by Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee general secretary Sarvan Singh Pandher.

The march, the demands

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha- Non-Political and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha had recently announced ‘Delhi Chalo’ march by more than 200 farmers’ unions, mostly from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Punjab, on February 13 to demand from the union government to accept their long-standing demand of enactment of a law to guarantee a minimum support price (MSP) for their produce. A gathering of lakhs of participants in the protest is being anticipated. It is crucial to point out that that a law on MSP by the union government was one of the conditions that the farmers had set when they agreed to withdraw their agitation in 2021. Even after more than two years, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Union government is yet to deliver their promises.

To provide a brief of the importance of MSP, a minimum support price is the rate at which the government buys farm produce and is based on a calculation of at least one and a half times the cost of production incurred by farmers.

Besides a legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP), the farmers are also demanding implementation of the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations which provided for safeguarding the interest of small farmers and addressing the issue of increasing risk overtaking agriculture as a profession. In addition to this, pensions for farmers and farm labourers, farm debt waiver, withdrawal of police cases and “justice” for victims of the Lakhimpur Kheri violence also form a part of the demands made. As provided by Mandeep Punia, a local journalist from Punjab and Haryana, they farmers have also raised a demand for 200 days’ daily wage and Rs 700 per daily wage for MNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) workers.

 The preparation by governments to impede, supress protest

Haryana: To join the march in Delhi, farmers have planned to come from the Ambala-Shambhu border, Khanauri-Jind and the Dabwali border. As per multiple media reports, ahead of farmers proposed ‘Delhi Chalo’ march, 50 companies of central paramilitary forces have been deployed by the Haryana Police with the aim of “maintaining law and order” in the state. As per a report on India Today, the authorities asserted the reason behind using paramilitary force is to ensure that nobody will be allowed to disturb peace and harmony. Notably, these central paramilitary forces comprise of Rapid Action Force and Central Reserve Police Force.

As per the statement given by a senior Haryana Police officer to the PTI, request for deploying 65 companies as paramilitary force had been made but only 50 were given. The officer stated that “Where these forces need to be deployed, we have done that.”

The India Today report also provides that the police have asked the farmers to not participate in the march without attaining the required permission and have also warned of strict action if they damage public property. Threats of compensation of any loss to government property caused to be compensated by attaching the property and seizing bank accounts of the protesters have also been issued by the police officials. Furthermore, they have also cautioned the farmers from giving their vehicles on rent or to any farmer, threatening to impound such vehicles and cancel its registration.

A video of police officials going around villages in the state and making such threats also surfaced on social media. In the video, posted by a local reporter named Mandeep Punia, police can be heard using a loud speaker and stating that any villager is found to be participating in the protest will have strict action taken against them, have their vehicles seized and their passports cancelled.

The video can be viewed here:

हरियाणा के गाँव गाँव जाकर पुलिस किसानों को आंदोलन में शामिल न होने की धमकी देते हुए इस भाषा का इस्तेमाल कर रही. pic.twitter.com/jLvJs95KUc

— Mandeep Punia (@mandeeppunia1) February 11, 2024

It is critical to emphasise here that to stop the farmers from protesting, as provided by the India Today report, the police have stocked up concrete blocks, barbed wire, sandbags, barricades and other items at the Shambhu border in Ambala to stop the protesters from marching towards the national capital. As per officials, directions have been issued by police official to petrol pump dealers in Ambala for not giving fuel to those who are sporting farmer’s union flags on their vehicles. Additionally, the police officials have stated that water cannon vehicles and drone have also been deployed at the Shambhu border. The Ambala district magistrate has imposed Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) in the district. These repressive tactics by the state come as the farmer unions in Ambala make preparations for the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march.

As per a report in the Livemint, the BJP-led state government of Haryana has also made other elaborate arrangements besides security, and have sealed the state’s border joining Punjab with barbed wires and concrete blocks to hamper the proposed ‘Dilli Chalo’ march by the agitated farmers. According to the statement of a senior police official in Jind district, from the India Today report, arrangements to seal entry point from Punjab include barbed wires, containers, barricades and concrete blocks, etc. In furtherance to this, the Haryana government has also suspended internet services in seven districts of the State from February 11 till February 13 and has ordered for bulk SMS services to be suspended. As per India Today, till the writing of this report, services have been suspended in districts including Ambala, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Jind, Hisar, Fatehabad and Sirsa.

Visual from Shambhu border can be viewed here:

Shambu Border sealed by the Haryana Police with big stones and barricades, security being enhanced in Ambala in view of farmers’ call for a march to Delhi scheduled for 13th February. #ShambuBorder #FarmersProtest pic.twitter.com/ikCqmZHQzg

— Gagandeep Singh (@Gagan4344) February 10, 2024

As per the report of Times of India, the Haryana police had laid a five layered barricading at the Nation Highway with concrete blocks, jersey barriers, spikes, barbed wires and iron barricades. The same can be viewed through the video:

BIG BREAKING:

BJP Govt goes on backfoot ahead of the Farmers’ Protest 2.0

BJP Govt sealed the Haryana-Punjab border today using barricades & iron nails ahead of Farmers’ march towards Delhi on Feb 13th.

BJP Govt also banned mobile internet in several districts near the… pic.twitter.com/Wjxi82KwoM

— Ankit Mayank (@mr_mayank) February 10, 2024

Notably, as per the TOI report, a mock drill had also been conducted by the Haryana police at Shambhu Border wherein the police had fired tear gas shells at some youth who had gathered on Punjab side.

Delhi: On February 11, an order imposing Section 144 of the CrPC was issued by the Delhi Police through which large gatherings were prohibiting at all borders between the national capital and Uttar Pradesh, as per Hindustan Times. The same prohibitory orders have also been imposed in areas under the jurisdiction of the North-East Delhi district. Under the said order, vehicles carrying protestors from entering Delhi have also been banned. It is essential to note that the orders imposed in Delhi will be active from February 11, Sunday, and will remain in place till March 11, 2024.

“Information has been received that some farmer organisations have given a call to their supporters to gather/march to Delhi on 13th February for their demands of the law on MSP and others. They are likely to sit at the border of Delhi till their demands are met. In order to avoid any untoward incident and to maintain Law & Order, a precautionary Order of section 144 Criminal Procedure Code, 1973, is required to be issued to save the lives and property in the area“, Delhi Police told ANI.

The social media post can be viewed here:

Information has been received that some farmer organisations have given a call to their supporters to gather/march to Delhi on 13th February for their demands of the law on MSP and others. They are likely to sit at the border of Delhi till their demands are met. In order to avoid… pic.twitter.com/1KXTYDiGDl

— ANI (@ANI) February 11, 2024

Make-shift jails for those detained:

As per a report of the NDTV, the Haryana government has converted two large stadiums, namely the Chaudhary Dalbir Singh Indoor Stadium in Sirsa, and Guru Gobind Singh Stadium in Dabwali, into makeshift jails ahead of the planned march with the objective of them serving as temporary jails to keep detained farmers. As provided in the said report, sources have stated that in case of any untoward situation during the march, farmers who are detained or arrested in large numbers will be kept in the temporary jails.

Media not allowed to cover protest:

As per the report of TOI, even media coverage has not been allowed by the Ambala police, as media persons from the Haryana side were prohibited from reaching the Shambhu border to see the situation and cover the matter. The media persons were stopped at Devi Nagar toll plaza. Furthermore, some media-persons who tried to do coverage from the Patiala, Punjab side, were also stooped and asked to leave the spot by the Haryana police officials.

Refusing to bow down, farmers gear up for protests

Videos of farmers proceeding towards Delhi, in the face of the coercive state employed tactics, have been surfacing on social media. In one such video, police can be seen standing beside the barricades that have been put on the road to restrain farmers from joining the march. As the barricades stand, a tractor going around those barricades with the police unable to stop the protestors from exercising their fundamental right to protest can be seen. Many more protestors can then be seen coming after the tractor, removing the barricades itself and carrying on with their journey to join the march in Delhi.

The video can be viewed here:

Farmers are unstoppable!

No barricades, No barrier could stop them, Lakhs of farmers moving towards Delhi.#FarmersProtest2024 #FarmersProtest pic.twitter.com/Y81N7VwG7V

— Hate Detector (@HateDetectors) February 12, 2024

Opposition, leaders raise questions on laying of spikes, cement barricades

Aam Aadmi Party leader and Chief Minister of Punjab Bhagwant Mann has urged the Centre to listen to farmers’ demands instead of setting up “borders between India and Punjab”. Expressing his anguish, Mann said “They [Haryana government] are installing fencing on the Punjab border. I request the central government to engage in talks with farmers. Please avoid creating an India-Punjab ‘border’.”

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) also slammed the state government’s attempts of blocking of roads. “Why is the government scared? Huge barricading is being done. Is this democracy?” SKM leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal rather stated in a message that “If the situation turns bad, it will be the responsibility of the Khattar government.”

Indian National Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi took to ‘X’ (formerly Twitter) and wrote that putting such hurdles in the path of farmers is state government’s injustice to their cause. In her post, she said “laying spikes and thorns in the path of farmers is it Amrit Kaal or injustice time? Due to this insensitive and anti-farmer attitude, 750 farmers lost their lives. What kind of characteristic is it of the government to work against the farmers and then not even allowing them to raise their voice? Priyanka said that the central government neither made the MSP law for the farmers nor doubled the income of the farmers. In such a situation, if the farmers do not come to the government, where will they go? He asked the Prime Minister, why is the country’s farmers being treated like this? The promise made to the farmers was not fulfilled.”

The post can be viewed here:

किसानों के रास्ते में कील-काँटे बिछाना अमृतकाल है या अन्यायकाल?

इसी असंवेदनशील एवं किसान विरोधी रवैये ने 750 किसानों की जान ली थी। किसानों के खिलाफ काम करना, फिर उनको आवाज भी न उठाने देना – कैसी सरकार का लक्षण है?

किसानों से किया वादा पूरा नहीं किया- न MSP का कानून बनाया, न… pic.twitter.com/xdTUVQr3yz

— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) February 11, 2024

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Beginning June 1, 2023, all India level mass meetings and demonstrations will be held in all districts and tehsil centres of the country. The protests across India are being held to protect the constitutional right to protest of all citizens and demanding arrest of BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. SKM will coordinate with platforms of trade unions, women, youth, students and all other sections including traders, intellectuals and social movements to make this action massive and successful.

Thereafter, on June 5, 2023, the day when Mahanths and RSS workers holding rally in support of the “accused rapist and criminal Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh MP” in Faizabad, SKM will give call to expose his criminal conduct so far and burn his effigy across India up to village and town level.

Thereafter, the SKM will convene a physical meeting of the general body immediately after June 5, 2023 at New Delhi and decide future plans of actions to continue the struggle.

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The post Farmers to hold countrywide demonstrations in support of women wrestlers: SKM appeared first on SabrangIndia.

On July 6, 2022 farmers body Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) appealed to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to stop Adani Group’s grid power-lines project in the Farakka area following alleged police brutality. 

On July 2nd, local police and residents of Dadantola village in Murshidabad district clashed over the installation of high-tension electricity lines. These lines are required to supply power from Godda, Jharkhand’s Adani Group-owned power plant, to Bangladesh as part of a bilateral trade agreement, said The Telegraph. 

However, the farmers claim that they had expressed unwillingness to allow their fruiting trees to be cut. This resulted in clashes wherein seven villagers (mostly farmers) and seven police personnel were injured, said The Telegraph. Further, the villagers also accused the police of lathi-charging. While the SKM claimed that this was as based on orders from ‘higher authorities’. In a press release the SKM said, “The state administration, police force and local political functionaries unleashed a reign of terror in the locality, forcing the menfolk to escape”. 

It further condemned the West Bengal government for “forcefully taking land and right-of-way from farmers, including horticulture farmers” after openly voicing support for the farmers’ struggle. In Murshidabad the corporation is currently trying to chop down mango and litchi trees. Highlighting the corporate-political nexus, which was condemned during the yearlong farmers’ struggle. 

 To look into this, SKM sent its fact-finding team to visit the area and speak to protesting farmers. However, the police prevented them from doing so. “They were virtually under detention and were not permitted to leave their hotel,” said SKM leader Darshan Pal. 

Eventually a police-escorted visit was organised but the team was not allowed to visit the affected villages or meet protesting farmers. The SKM said it has the constitutional and legal right to meet farmers and stand with them. 

“Any government trying to stop SKM from being with farmers is anti-farmer,” said the SKM.  

Accordingly, it demanded that the government cooperate with the national level fact-finding team that the union will send to the affected area. Regarding FIRs against farmers, the SKM demanded that the police withdraw the allegedly false cases and release them from Police or Judicial custody. 

Similarly, Adivasi farmers in the Dhinkia village of Jagatsinghpur, Odisha have also been opposing the developmental project in their area for several years. The farmers in Jagatsinghpur have talked about how their Betel vineyards have been destroyed by their authorities. SKM also voiced its solidarity with the struggle of the Adivasi farmers earlier.    

Related:

Farmers demand answers: What happened to written promises?
After activists, is GoI now targeting farmers?
Lakhimpur Kheri case: Third witness attacked, survives firing by goons
Pan-India farmers protest over attack on Rakesh Tikait!
UP elections: ECI data indicates enthusiastic voter turnout in the farming community
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The post Bengal: SKM condemns police aggression on Murshidabad farmers. appeared first on SabrangIndia.

The overwhelming response to the Samyukta Kisan Morcha’s (SKM) call for ‘Vishvasghat Diwas’ (Betrayal Day) dismissed all questions of whether the farmers’ movement had ended following the clearing of Delhi border protest sites.

On January 31, 2022, farmers across India marched together towards their local administrative office to submit the memorandum listing the various fronts on which the central government failed its peasantry.Addressed to President Ram Nath Kovind, the memorandum was submitted the day the Economic Survey 2021-22 was tabled and on the eve of the Union Budget 2022.

Speaking on the central and state governments betrayal, it said, “Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Secretary Sanjay Agarwal wrote a letter to the SKM on December 9, 2021, in which he gave assurances on behalf of the government on some issues and appealed to withdraw the movement. On the basis of this written assurance, we decided to suspend the morcha at Delhi borders and various other protests from December 11.”

However, more than a month since vacating the premises, leaders saw that the Centre had made no efforts to fulfil any of its assurances. In response to this, farmers across India observed Vishwasghat Diwas (Day of Betrayal) on Monday.

Listing each promise of the government, farmer leaders reminded that cases filed against farmers were to be withdrawn with immediate effect.

“Consent to withdraw the case has been given by the Government of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana. … It is agreed by related departments and agencies of the Government of India to withdraw all the agitation related cases registered against the protesters and supporters in all the Union Territories including Delhi with immediate effect,” said the December document.

However, none of the stated governments moved to withdraw the cases. Instead, the SKM legal cell received news about court summons in these cases. Only the Haryana government completed some paperwork and issued orders to withdraw the case. This work is incomplete.

Similarly, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh governments had in-principle consented to compensate families of farmers who were martyred during the movement. Yet, both state governments failed to announce compensation or the nature of the compensation.

Another prominent promise was concerning Minimum Support Price (MSP). The government promised the formation of a committee that ensured MSP to farmers. Despite promises, this committee neither announced the formation of the committee, nor gave any information about the nature of the committee and its mandate.

In the Lakhimpur Kheri massacre case, they reiterated the need to suspend Minister of State Ajay Mishra especially after the SIT report affirming the charge of pre-planned conspiracy.

“On the other hand, the Uttar Pradesh Police is active in implicating and arresting the farmers accused in this incident,” said the SKM.

Moreover, farmers accused the government of furthering their “anti-farmer agenda” through negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement with Australia that threatened the existence of dairy farmers. Similarly, amendments to the Biological Diversity Act 2002 is an invitation to biopiracy of the farmers’ wealth.

“GM [Genetically-modified] food is being allowed through backdoor entry by making new regulations governing the FSSAI. Efforts are being made to cut down on the purchase of the crop with the new quality standard brought in by the FCI,” said the SKM.

In light of this, leaders appealed to Kovind to protect farmers who helped the country become self-sufficient in food grains through huge efforts despite the Covid-19 lockdown and economic slowdown.

Protests resume

By Monday evening, the SKM announced farmers will resume their agitation because the government reneged on its promises. Earlier in the day, lakhs of farmers demonstrated across India to show their solidarity with this decision.

In thousands of districts, farmers marched, burned effigies in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Tripura among other states.

As per previous declarations, the SKM also announced the start of Mission Uttar Pradesh campaign across the state to “punish and defeat” BJP in state elections.

“The new phase of the Mission will be announced with a press conference on February 3,” said the SKM.

Related:

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The post Farmers protest resume on Vishwasghat Diwas appeared first on SabrangIndia.

First Information Reports (FIR) filed in wake of the tractor rally held during Republic Day 2021, still continue to threaten farmers with legal persecution. As January 26, 2022 approaches, the legal team of farmers group Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) says that the Centre is yet to dismiss the chargesheet containing 23 FIRs against farmers.

On Wednesday, it will be a year since the farmers organised an elaborate tractor parade across the national capital Delhi in 2021. The march that had started off with a shower of flowers on protesting farmers by citizens, took a turn for the worse when some protesters were made to change their route. Due to this and the police action opened along similar routes, the day ended with external elements storming the Red Fort and the death of a farmer driving a tractor at ITO.

Many farmers had gone missing after the incident while others were arrested by police. The incident also sparked the birth of the SKM’s legal cell, which over the next few months found all missing farmers in jails or other places. The team succeeded in ensuring bail for the peasants but the court battle to do away with the charges of rioting and unrest continues.

“On December 9, 2021 when we agreed to leave Delhi borders, the government told us it’d dismiss the cases against farmers. We still have the written agreement but the authorities haven’t started the process anywhere in India still,” SKM’s Legal Convenor Prem Singhu Bhangu told Sabrang India on January 25.

The agreement wasn’t solely about 23 FIRs. Over the past year, farmers across India, especially Haryana, have been constantly condemning the BJP’s ruling regime for ignoring farmers’ demands. Mahapanchayats, regional protests were held every other week, at times, even during harvest season.

According to the legal cell, the government has to revoke FIRs against 50,000 agitating farmers. Additionally, it has to act on other demands regarding the legalisation of MSP, compensation to martyred farmers’ families and dismissal of laws penalising farmers.

“We are still waiting for the government to show results,” said Bhangu.

Rather than dismissing charges, farmers recently received summons from the Delhi High Court or arrest warrants for the violence on October 3, 2021 at Lakhimpur Kheri.

“The Centre has the power to dismiss all these cases if only the Union Home Ministry sends a letter to concerned state regions. If by January 31, the situation stays the same, we will include this demand in Mission UP as well,” said legal cell member Vasu Kukreja.

Foreseeing continued government failure in future, the SKM is now gearing up for the ‘Vishwasghat Diwas’ on January 31 when farmers will go to the tehsil-level to submit memorandums to authorities reiterating their demands.

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The post Farmers still facing charges from last Republic Day parade appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Farmers’ umbrella body Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) has called for a nationwide protest on January 31, 2022 after expressing disappointment at the central government’s failure to come through on its own promises to protesters.

Around December 8, 2021, the Centre first initiated talks with farmer leaders negotiating many demands such as a legal guarantee to Minimum Support Price (MSP), withdrawal of the draft Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2021, penal provisions on farmers in the Commission for Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Act 2021 and FIRs registered against agitating farmers across India.

However, “Barring some FIRs in Haryana, there has been no progress regarding the assurances made in the documents,” said SKM member Ashok Dhawale during a press conference.

For this reason, the members declared tehsil-level protest all over the country on Monday. Further, if their demands remained ignored after the protests, farmers decided to launch “Mission Uttar Pradesh” and “Mission Uttarakhand” in the respective states to condemn the ruling regime.

Why is BJP govt alwys against farmers?
How long will farmers hv to wait fr justice on Lakhimpur incident?#योगी_किसान_विरोधी pic.twitter.com/E7A9D9arzk

— Kisan Ekta Morcha (@Kisanektamorcha) January 14, 2022

Regarding politics, the SKM also clarified that it has distanced itself from all unions wishing to enter politics as the movement “is apolitical”. Leaders said they will decide whether the estrangement will continue four months from now.

Meanwhile, it voiced fresh support to the anganwadi workers in Haryana, who have been asserting their rights since December 8. The SKM also promised to participate in the All-India General Strike of trade union on February 23 and February 24 to condemn other oppressive laws of the government.

Since October 2021, farmers have also demanded the sacking of Union Minister Ajay Mishra for his alleged involvement in the Lakhimpur Kheri massacre. Leaders pointed out that even the SIT probe stated that the incident was a premeditated act and not a chance event. However, while Mishra remains in office many farmers have been arrested since then.

To look into this matter, farmer leader Rakesh Tikait along with a delegation of the SKM will go to Lakhimpur Kheri on January 21 for three days to talk to the arrested farmers and their families.

Protest called off!! But still false charges on farmers nit withdrawn
No justice to victims f Lakhimpur incident
Why is #ModiHelpingCriminalTeni ?? pic.twitter.com/J19hEuDBXs

— Kisan Ekta Morcha (@Kisanektamorcha) January 15, 2022

“We will meet the people in jails and their families. Many of our people have been imprisoned and we plan to talk to authorities about this. Even authorities who arrested farmers outside Uttar Pradesh will be questioned for the act,” said Tikait.

The SKM said that if the delegation finds their investigations unsatisfactory, they will announce fresh protests across the district.

Farmers demands

Aside from the withdrawal of the three contentious laws, the SKM has constantly demanded a legal guarantee to MSP. During their last talk with officials, farmers were told that the Centre will create a committee to discuss MSP legalisation. However, after nearly a month, farmers noted that the government has taken no efforts to follow through on their promises.

Similarly, many peasant families have been waiting for their compensation from the government after family members died while participating in the national struggle. Yet, many have not received any word from officials.

During the press conference, the farmer leaders called this protection of Minister Mishra and the stalling of the committee another way to protect their “vote bank”.

Related:

Lakhimpur Kheri massacre: Fact-finding report highlights administrative tyranny
Lakhimpur Kheri killings were planned: SIT
SKM says govt’s draft agreeable, but “this is not the end”
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SKM forms five-member committee to hold talks with GoI

The post SKM demands Centre come through on its promises appeared first on SabrangIndia.

India’s democratic rights organisations formed an 11- member fact finding team to investigate the factors that resulted in the Lakhimpur Kheri Massacre. The team visited the area from October 28 to 30, 2021. After talking to local people, families of the farmers who died during the incident, their lawyers and eyewitnesses, including those whose statements were recorded by the police, the Association For Democratic Rights and others outlined the background, timeline and what followed after the massacre.

The team concluded that the October 3 incident must be investigated while considering the events in the preceding month, the context of land relations and concerted attempts to communally divide citizens.

Terai region has a long history of peasant struggles with rights over land being the central issue. The report asserts how land reforms are meant to empower the tenants instead of giving more power to the big landlords. WhenDalits, Adivasis and others were dispossessed of their lands, it was used by the ruling party representatives to create a communal wedge between the landless and landowning communities. Sikh farmers, living in the area since the 1940s were also antagonised, especially once they joined the nationwide farmers protest.

Both Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Mishra and his son Ashish incited hate against these farmers by stating that “Khalistanis were operating in the name of farmers” and that the movement was “infiltrated by Babbar Khalsa separatists.”

Similarly, the report began the incident’s timeline from the Kisan Mahapanchayat organised by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) on September 20 and the Krantikari Kisan Union (KKU) and Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) protest on September 25 when people showed Mishra black flags in Palia.

In response Mishra mocked the protesters and at a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) gathering said, “I just want to say one thing to such people: behave yourself or else we will discipline you in 2 minutes. I am not just a Minister. Those who know me would also know that I do not run away from challenges. You will have to leave Lakhimpur.”

This speech sparked the October 3 protest at Tikunia village where Ashish Mishra allegedly ran over four farmers and local journalist Raman Kashyap with SUV vehicles. Recent SIT reports stated that the incident was not an accident or sudden occurrence but a pre-planned action against farmers.

Further, the fact-finding report also condemned the role of the police as reprehensible.

“The police sided with the offenders, facilitated their entry and escape from the scene of the crime, and the police is found to be peddling lies… and misinformation that is perpetrated by the State prior to the peaceful black flag protest, during the protest and after the brutal incident,” said the report.

The report also questioned the use of Section 144 in stopping the movement of people, farm leaders, press and political party representatives from reaching out to families.

“This practice must be challenged and the arbitrary restrictions on assembly and movement must stop,” it said.

As per interviews with locals, the police should also have informed protesters about the termination of Deputy CM’s programme to land in Tikunia for the Banvirpur event if they had this information a day prior to the incident. By keeping this information from farmers, the police and local administration contributed to letting the tension build in the area.

The team further noted that the police failed to help in providing timely medical care despite crowd control protocol mandates for first aid and training to efficiently transport injured for medical treatment. The police failed to assist in providing all this.

Family testimonies also blamed the poor state infrastructure and health services for the loss of lives. The aggrieved said local elected representatives like Mishra should have developed proper hospital facilities in the area but failed miserably in this duty. The incident has nowadays created an atmosphere of fear in the area.

Lastly, the team condemned the protesters’ confinement to a narrow stretch of less than 500 meters through barricading. The report said that this made farmers an easy prey for the speeding vehicles which entered the stretch and mowed down farmers.

“The precision with which this happened points to pre-planning,” it said, endorsing the SIT’s stand.

In light of all this, the fact-finding team reiterated farmers’ longstanding demand for the sacking of Mishra from his ministerial post. The report argued that his past and the unconditional power he enjoys in the current regime allow for a high likelihood that the investigation will be tempered, subverted to his and his party’s advantage.

“The impunity of the state must be challenged through a due process for which it is important that a free and impartial inquiry happens,” it said.

Therefore the report demands that the local police also be investigated for their role in the entry and escape of the criminals from the scene of crime. It is noteworthy that the police permitted the possession of legal weapons by those who have a criminal history. The report also challenged the overuse of internet shutdown and Section 144 by the present regime to silence victims and called for executive and the judiciary scrutiny. Further, until the case is disposed of properly, the state must protect witnesses and allow them to depose and live lives without fear.

Lastly, the team also noted the dubious deaths of BJP workers like Shyam Sundar Nishad and said that these deaths must also be probed impartially so that “the guilty don’t go scot free and the incident is not blamed on the dead to save the powerful accused.”

The full report may be read below:

Lakhimpur Kheri killings were planned: SIT
Lakhimpur Kheri killings: Kashyap family’s plea for separate FIR against MoS denied
Lakhimpur Kheri case: SC directs UP gov’t to “upgrade” SIT with non-native higher-grade officers
With thinning patience, SC recommends HC judge to monitor Lakhimpur Kheri probe
Lakhimpur Kheri killings: Two more farmers arrested for alleged lynching of BJP workers

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