CM Mann Betrays Farmers Leaders, Police Evicts Protesters

On 19 Mar, soon after scheduled talks in Chandigarh between the farmer leaders from Kisan Mukti Morcha, Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) (Non Political), and the Union Agricultural minister Shivraj Chauhan finished, Panjab police detained leaders from both unions as they entered Panjab’s territory. This is unprecedented because even during wars, hostage crises, and rebellions, there is an understanding between negotiating parties to pause hostilities and respect one another’s safety and freedom until the negotiators have reached their camps. The Bhagwant Singh Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party government betrayed the farmers and marked a new nadir. After the leaders were detained, police—already present in large numbers at the Panjab and Haryana interstate protest sites at Shambhu and Khanauri—forcibly evicted the protesters. Hundreds of farmers were arrested and bulldozers were brought in to raze their 13-months long encampments. When farmers reached the next day they found all the structures at the protest sites were flattened and thieves had decamped with all their belongings: gas cylinders, laptops, Wi-Fi routers, refrigerators, air-conditioners, coolers, and inverters. Over 120 trolleys were missing from Shambhu itself. Protesting farmers combed the nearby villages and found a few trolleys. In another instance at Rajpura, thieves attacked farmers. This was a second betrayal because all of this pilferage took place under the police’s supervision, despite their assurance that farmers’ goods and vehicles would be safe. Both betrayals have placed the farmers on their defensive as far as future protests are concerned. All over the state, farmers protested the detentions. The Panjab govt. could take such drastic action on the Farmers Protest 2.0 because the farmers still remain disunited. To drive the wedge deeper, on 21 Mar, the govt. invited other farmers—SKM’s Panjab chapter and Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan)—for talks. However, displaying solidarity with the detained farmers and leaders, both refused to engage in talks. The roads from Panjab to Delhi have now been opened.