Protester dies of head injury as Haryana Police drops tear gas shells at Khanauri border#FarmersProtest Live Updates:https://t.co/2V1byTb60x

— The Indian Express (@IndianExpress) February 21, 2024

In its defence, a woman officer from the Haryana police was seen on social media alleging that the farmer protesters surrounded the police from all sides by pouring chilli powder in the stubble, attacked the policemen using sticks and maces along with stone pelting at Khanauri border. Around 12 policemen were seriously injured. Appeal to the protesters for peace, the police added.

Meanwhile, the All India Kisan Union (AIKS) has condoled the Death of Farmer Shubh Karan Singh in Police Action and demanded the dismissal of the police personnel responsible for the brutality. The AIKS has also called for nationwide protests.

Some reports suggest that after being left down by what they dubbed as a fraudulent offer by government, the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Arjun Munda on Wednesday again invited the farmer leaders for discussion on the MSP demand, crop diversification, stubble issue.

In a desperate attack indicative of the panic in government, the Union fovernment temporarily blocks 177 social media accounts, web links. The orders were issued by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology on February 14 and 19 at the request of the Ministry of Home Affairs under section 69A of the IT Act

PTI reported that the government has ordered temporary blocking of around 177 social media accounts and web links that are linked to the farmers’ protest, according to sources. The orders were issued by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology on February 14 and 19 at the request of the Ministry of Home Affairs under section 69A of the IT Act.

“The orders have been issued to temporarily block 177 social media accounts and web links to maintain law and order on request of the Ministry of Home Affairs,” the source said.

Links and accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat and some other social media platforms have been ordered to be blocked. These accounts can be restored after the farmers’ agitation is over, the source added.

At midday on Wednesday, the DIG of Patiala Range, HS Bhullar told the media on Wednesday said that the Haryana Police used 14 tear gas shells without any provocation as the farmers began their march towards Delhi from the Shambhu border. Bhullar said that has registered his protest with the Haryana Police regarding the same.

Meanwhile, farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, while speaking to farmers at the Shambhu border, said “You stay behind.. we shall lead the march. Let’s stop the machines and we shall walk.”

Earlier in the day, the Punjab and Haryana High Court refused to accept a plea by the Haryana government over farmers using heavy equipment ahead of the ‘Delhi Chalo’ protest march. “Politics is happening all over. Why didn’t Punjab stop these machines/protestors earlier? Courts are being used,” HC said while refusing the hearing. The Haryana government approached the High Court again on Wednesday, seeking directions to prevent farmers from moving ahead with their modified earth-moving equipment which pose security concerns in Haryana.

While addressing the media early this morning, farmer leaders Sarwan Singh Pandher and Dallewal urged the government to remove the barricades at the Shambhu border so the could march peacefully to Delhi and said that they were “ready to die in the interest of the nation.”

Protesting farmers are demanding that a Special Session of Parliament should be called to formulate MSP law, says Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta-Ugrahan) president. The Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta-Ugrahan) president Joginder Singh Ugrahan and General Secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokri Kalan, stated that a special session of Parliament should be called to formulate laws ensuring the guaranteed purchase of crops through MSP for all 23 crops. Farmers demand a peaceful resolution of the ongoing struggle, rejecting the aggressive measures of the central government to suppress the democratic voice of the protesting farmers, they said in a statement issued this afternoon.

Barricading Delhi for #FarmersProtests

Shocking reports of how Haryana and Delhi Police had geared up for the farmers’ march to Delhi, barricading at borders, provisions to block roads. On Tuesday, the Gurgaon Police arrested under section Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) Section(s) 107/151, and later released 38 farmers for violating orders under CrPC Section 144 in the state, after Manesar farmers called for a march towards Delhi. They were later released.

The Indian Expres reported in detail, multiple layers of barricading at borders with Haryana, provisions to block the road at Ghazipur border with Uttar Pradesh if the need arises — these are some of the measures the Delhi Police is keeping in place ahead of the scheduled march of farmers towards Delhi from Punjab on Wednesday morning following their rejection of the Centre’s five-year minimum support price (MSP) proposal.

On the march scheduled for Wednesday, Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Mayank Gupta said that four law and order companies are ready with riot gear to restrict any movement and control disturbance. “But we are not expecting any disruption here. We are coordinating with the DCPs of South and Southwest Delhi along with those in the neighbouring districts of Gurgaon,” Gupta said, adding that there were no restrictions on traffic or any route diversion.

At the Panipat-Sonipat border, at least 400 officers along with two companies of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and one of Border Security Force (BSF) have been deployed, along with the installment of water cannons, barricades, and concrete barriers to prevent the protesters from marching towards the national capital. Other media reports in Indian Express  and Telegraph stated that the Gurgaon Police, meanwhile, has deployed officers at all its key borders including the Rajokri border on the Delhi-Jaipur Highway, Rewari, Pataudi-Jhajjar, Farrukhnagar-Jhajjar and Nuh borders. “Adequate force is on standby round the clock, and Gurgaon has not been affected by the protests so far, but we have enough officers deployed to prevent any untoward incident along the borders,” said an officer, requesting anonymity.

In Gautam Buddha Nagar, officials said that farmers would be given space from the Yamuna Expressway’s zero point to Surajpur collectorate, where farmers will line up on one side with their tractors.

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Farmers Protest: Union proposes contractual MSP for 5 years for three pulse crops, maize, and cotton, no law on MSP; farmer union to decide

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The post Farmers protest: Death of a farmer after teargas shells dropped by Haryana cops, protests intensify as 77 SM accounts banned by MEITY/MHA appeared first on SabrangIndia.

In her interview, Dr. Madhura Swaminathan could be further heard saying that “Today, the farmers of Punjab are marching to Delhi. There are jails being prepared, there are barricades and all kinds of things in place to prevent them. These are farmers, they are not criminals. I request all of you, the leading scientists of India, we must talk to our Annadatas (food providers). We cannot treat them as criminals. We have to find solutions, please, this is my request that if we have to continue to honour MS Swaminathan, we have to take the farmers with us in whatever strategy we are planning for the future.”

“Don’t treat farmers like they are criminals”.
Economist and Daughter of Prof. MS Swaminathan, Dr. Madhura Swaminathan @MadhuraFAS‘s emotional appeal during the celebration of the Bharat Ratna awarded to her father.

“The Farmers of Punjab today are marching to Delhi, There are… pic.twitter.com/gcdz1O87wt

— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) February 13, 2024

Hopefully, the ones who conferred this prestigious award to Professor MS Swaminathan will also hear the pleadings of his daughter and take back the repressive and unjust tactics being employed against the unarmed farmers exercising their right to protest.  

The struggle to march to Delhi by farmers continues

Since yesterday, visuals of tear gas, water cannons and rubber pellets being fired at the protesting farmers have been surfacing from the Shambu border of Haryana. Even today, videos show the Haryana police relentlessly targeting the protesting farmers, fully determined to prevent the farmers from being able to reach the national capital. A report by the Hindu stated that the Haryana Police became the first police force in India to use drones to launch tear gas devices with the Haryana Police dropping tear gas shells from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) on protesting farmers at Shambhu Barrier on the Punjab-Haryana boundary. As per the report, a police official has stated that the State government used drones made by Drone Imaging and Information Service of Haryana Limited (DRIISHYA), a public limited company incorporated in 2021. Interestingly, according to a Haryana government press release of April 4, 2023, the said drones had been designed for “surveying infrastructure projects, monitoring of agriculture and horticulture crops, and surveillance of sensitive areas for security purposes.” As per the report of the Hindu, the company is located at Karnal. 

Visuals of farmers flying kites at the border in attempts to tackle the drones have surfaced on social media. Ironically, the festival of Basant Panchami also falls today, on February 14. This festival is supposed to be joyfully celebrated by Sikhs and Hindus to mark the beginning of spring. The ones celebrating the festival wear yellow-coloured clothes to emulate the bright yellow mustard flowers in the fields. This year, the farmers had to spend it facing the state’s unjust display of power.

On February 14, a press note was also sent by the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) to media personnel and others through which they have condemned the violent repression unleashed on farmers marching to Delhi at Shanbhu Border and other places. In the press note, the AIKS had stated “The use of drones to throw teargas, the concrete barricades, rubber bullets, huge iron spikes on the roads and the indiscriminate arrests of farmers and leaders exposes the barbaric face of the BJP Government led by Narendra Modi. The use of drones to drop tear gas on farmers shows the extreme vengeance that this BJP Government holds for the farmers of our country. AIKS warns the BJP Government to desist from such attacks on democratic right to protest. AIKS will join in unity with all democratic forces as well as the Samyukta Kisan Morcha and the Joint Platform of Central Trade Unions to resist such repressive measures. AIKS demands release of all arrested leaders and end repression.”

Along with this, the AIKS had called for the farmers to re-double their efforts in the upcoming protest of February 16 where the Samyukta Kisan Morcha, which had super headed the previous one year long farmers protest against the three controversial farm laws, have collaborated with ten Central Trade Unions (CTUs) to hold a rural and industrial strike.

The press note states “AIKS calls upon all its units to redouble efforts to rally farmers and workers as well as all democratic sections on 16th February across the country by also prominently taking a campaign on the repression unleashed along with other issues of the struggle. The incessant protests by farmers and workers are a result of repeated betrayals by Narendra Modi and the BJP Government. The move by the BJP Government to unleash violence on farmers is a sign of desperation. It is a clear sign that their divisive efforts of communal polarisation are being rebuffed by the farmers, workers and masses of our country. Its efforts to divert attention from people’s problems and livelihood issues, unemployment, poverty, hunger through communal polarisation and hate campaign is clearly failing. It is their sense of fear of the people’s unity that they are reacting in such a manner.”

‘X’ (formerly Twitter) accounts of those posting on the farmers protest withheld

As per multiple media reports, over a dozen social media accounts of farmer leaders and those posting updates on the farmer protests have been withheld by ‘X’ (formerly Twitter). As per a report of The Wire, X and Facebook accounts that were allegedly functioning as the official pages of farmers’ organisations and unions ahead of their ‘Delhi Chalo’ protest have been withheld in India – ostensibly upon government request.

It is pertinent to highlight here that the blocking of the social media accounts of farmers began even before their protest did. As per the report of the Wire, accounts of farmers were withheld on February 12. This ban on social media accounts is in addition to the prohibition on internet services as well as bulk SMS services being in place in seven districts of Haryana since February 11. 

Till now, X accounts and Facebook pages of prominent farmer leaders like Sarvan Singh Pandher, the coordinator of Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM), Tejveer Singh Ambala, the spokesperson of BKU (Shaheed Bhagat Singh), farmer leader Ramandeep Singh Mann, Surjit Singh Phull from BKU Krantikari, farmer leader Harpal Sangha, Ashok Danoda from Haryana and many others have been withheld. As per multiple media reports including the Wire, official pages which supported the movement and posted updates on it, like @Tractor2twitr_P run by Bhavjit Singh, Bhartiya Kisan Union (Shaheed Bhagat Singh) and Progressive Farmers Front, run by Guramneet Singh Mangat have also been banned. Notably, BKU (SBS) is one of the main farmer unions which was leading the farmers’ protest from Ambala, Haryana.

‘Gaon Sawera’, a page run by independent journalist Mandeep Punia has been withheld, as has been Mandeep’s personal page. Mandeep is a prominent name supporting the farmers’ protest and had been arrested in 2020.  Garvit Garg, another journalist from Gaon Savera is not providing frequent updates from the farmers protest.

Twitter accounts of @gaonsavera and @mandeeppunia1 have been blocked in India. Please keep an eye on this space for ground updates from Kisan Andolan.

— Garvit Garg (@garvitgarg15) February 14, 2024

मनदीप पुनिया और गाँव सवेरा, दोनों के ही ट्विटर अकाउंट को बंद कर दिया गया है। अब किसान आंदोलन की ग्राउंड रिपोर्ट्स आप तक इस अकाउंट के ज़रिए पहुँचायी जायेंगी। #farmerprotest2024 @mandeeppunia1 @GaonSavera #gaonsavera pic.twitter.com/r8hyvRIxPB

— Garvit Garg (@garvitgarg15) February 14, 2024

It is important to highlight here that this is not the first time that the government of India has abused their powers and opaquely withholding social media accounts as even during earlier farmers’ protest of 2020, the Union government had banned many social media accounts including the official page of Kisan Ekta Morcha.

Related:

Section 144 order set aside in Calcutta High Court, no such relief by Punjab and Haryana High Court in farmer’s protest

Farmers Protest: Braving tear gas, blockades, state obstructions, farmers journey towards Delhi to demand law on MSP

Farmers’ Protest: Physical repression, prohibitory orders, Delhi entry blocked – Déjà Vu?

Farmer leaders detained in Madhya Pradesh, made to sit at police stations, saw police raids at night- attempts to stop farmers from joining protest intensify

The post Protesting farmers spend Basant Panchami facing government’s water cannons and tear gases’ government withholds social media accounts of farm leaders, journalists appeared first on SabrangIndia.

In a statement issued yesterday, The Kashmir Walla describes the move as an instance of “opaque censorship” and yet another severe blow to the freedom of the press in Jammu and Kashmir.

The magazine’s staff were notified by their service provider that the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology had blocked access to the website within India, invoking the Information Technology Act of 2000.  Their Facebook page, boasting nearly half a million followers, was taken down, and access to their Twitter account was “restricted”, citing what was described as a “legal demand.” As per the statement issued by the Kashmir Walla, all this was done while the staff were in the process of vacating their office space in Srinagar, having been served an eviction notice by the property owner.

NWMI has, in its statement, pointed out that this blocking and censorship of the magazine’s website comes at a time when Fahad Shah, the founder-editor-in-chief of The Kashmir Walla, has been incarcerated for 18 months. Shah is currently contesting various charges levelled against him, including the alleged promotion of terrorism, dissemination of false information, and incitement to violence. He has faced imprisonment on five separate occasions within four months, with three instances involving First Information Reports under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and one involving the application of the Public Safety Act.

A trainee reporter with the magazine, Sajad Gul, is also detained under the draconian Public Safety Act (PSA) and is currently lodged in a prison in Uttar Pradesh. Gul was arrested on January 6, 2022, after he shared a video in which a family expressed allegedly “anti-India” sentiments following the death of their family member in an exchange of fire with security forces in Srinagar.

The staff of The Kashmir Walla say that they are still in the process of comprehending the implications of this latest development. Their statement is an eloquent comment on the plight of independent media in Kashmir: “There isn’t a lot left for us to say anymore. Since 2011, The Kashmir Walla has strived to remain an independent, credible, and courageous voice of the region in the face of unimaginable pressure from the authorities while we watched ourselves being ripped apart, bit by bit.”

The deliberate targeting of The Kashmir Walla, through the arrest of its editors and contributors and now the blocking of its website and social media accounts, indicates the extent to which the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Union government can go to muzzle the press in Kashmir.

By blocking this crucial news magazine, the government seeks to silence a critical voice and denies readers in India access to its rich repository of stories showcasing everyday life in conflict-ridden Kashmir. Regrettably, the authorities appear to have prevailed upon house-owners to terminate the magazine’s office lease.  An independent media requires a support system to flourish, and intimidation by the authorities contributes to eroding this support structure of essential services.

NWMI has also demanded that authorities desist from exerting pressure on ordinary citizens such as house owners, to prevent them renting space to The Kashmir Walla.

Further, NWMI has also demanded that the authorities stop this backdoor censorship of independent media. The Kashmir Walla must be allowed to be published freely on the internet, and access to its website and its social media platforms must be restored.

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