Farmers stage dharna outside the DC office in Rohtak on Tuesday.

Tribune News Service
Rohtak, April 20

Farmers under the banner of the All-India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) and other farm organisations on Tuesday staged a dharna outside the DC office against the recently passed Bill for recovering damages to public and private properties from protesters.

They also submitted a memorandum to the district authorities demanding the repeal of the Bill. Women too decried the law by describing it as draconian and a weapon for framing peaceful protesters.

Mahapanchayat amid Covid surge

Hisar: Farmers organised a mahapanchayat at the Khatkar toll plaza in Jind district, mobilising people to join protest sites at the Delhi borders. They were not wearing masks and not maintaining social distancing. The mahapanchayat demanded withdrawal of the three farm laws, compensation to farmers who lost their crop due to fire recently and withdrawal of the “protesters to pay” Act. TNS

Addressing the protesters, AIKS vice-president Inderjit Singh recalled the British raj times when punitive measures used to be taken to contain the freedom struggle. “The BJP was following authoritarianism with an intention to devastate those who would try to raise the voice against the regime. The act for recovering damages to public and private properties from protesters has been enacted for the same purpose,” he alleged.

Inderjit said the protest was organised at every district headquarter following the call given by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha to mount pressure on the authorities to scrap the contentious law and withdraw police cases against farmers.

A similar protest was also organised in Jhajjar city.