Protesting Indian farmers burn copies of farm laws outside BJP leaders’ houses

Indian farmers on Saturday burnt copies of the farm laws enacted by the Modi government outside the residences and offices of leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies in various states.

They were observing a nationwide ‘Sampoorna Kranti Diwas’ to mark the day when these laws were promulgated as Ordinances in 2020.

Raising anti-BJP slogans, groups of farmers were seen holding demonstrations and burning copies of the farm laws outside or near residences and offices of leaders of the BJP and its political allies in much of Punjab and Haryana. The demonstrations were held on the call given by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), the umbrella body of farmer unions spearheading the ongoing farmers’ protests.

Farmers also staged demonstrations in other states, including Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

At Tohana in Fatehabad, Haryana, scores of farmers led by Rakesh Tikait, Gurnam Singh Chaduni and Yogendra Yadav gathered to “court arrest” in protest against the Haryana government’s arrest of farmers following a recent spat with Tohana MLA Devender Babli. Amid the raging controversy, Babli, in a video statement about the incident on June 1 in Tohana, said, “I am a public representative and I uttered certain words that were inappropriate. I take my words back.”

The SKM, however, said that on June 7, a sit-in would be held in front of all police stations across Haryana if the ruling BJP-Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) government does not withdraw the cases filed against farmers.

“His [Devender Babli’s] apology is one thing, but unless farmers who have been arrested are not released, we will not relent. The agitation will only intensify,” said senior SKM leader Darshan Pal.

Farmers associated with Kisan Mazdoor Sangarsh Committee (KMSC), a prominent outfit at the forefront of the ongoing agitation, burnt copies of the farm laws in 11 districts of Punjab, primarily in the Majha and Doaba region, while Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta-Ugrahan) members burnt copies at around 50 places across 15 districts of Punjab, according to Sukhdev Singh, general secretary, BKU (U).