Farmers' unions demand high-level judicial inquiry into Republic Day violence, cases against protesters

New Delhi: Protesting farmer unions on Saturday demanded a high-level judicial inquiry into the violence during the tractor rally in Delhi on 26 January and the alleged “false” cases slapped on the peasants. Addressing a press conference at the Singhu border, Samyukta Kisan Morcha leaders asked farmers who are getting police notices not to appear before the force directly and instead approach the legal cell constituted by the unions for any assistance. Kuldeep Singh, a member of SKM’s legal cell, said that a retired judge of the Supreme Court or high court should probe the incidents to unravel the “conspiracy” behind the 26 January violence and the alleged “false cases” against the farmers. According to SKM leaders, 16 farmers who had participated in the tractor parade are still untraceable. In the Republic Day violence, over 500 police personnel had been injured, while a protester had died. On 26 January, thousands of protesting farmers who reached ITO from the Ghazipur border clashed with the police. Driving tractors, many of them reached the Red Fort and entered the monument, where a religious flag was hoisted. At the press conference, another leader Ravinder Singh said that 122 farmers had so far been arrested by Delhi Police in connection with 14 of the 44 FIRs, adding that SKM will provide legal and financial aid to all the arrested farmers. The Morcha leaders claimed that “false” cases were being slapped on farmers charging them with serious offences like dacoity and attempt to murder to “harass” them. “Ten farmers have been granted bail so far and five bail applications have been filed. Priority is being given to those farmers who are not booked under Section 307 of the IPC or other serious offences,” the SKM said in a statement later. Ravinder Singh said that the Morcha will provide Rs 2,000 to every arrested farmer for spending in the prison canteen. A legal team of SKM had on Friday visited the Tihar jail where 112 farmers were currently lodged, he said. The union leaders have requested Delhi Jal Board Vice Chairman and senior Aam Aadmi Party leader Raghav Chadha to ensure that farmers are kept in one jail. In the statement, the SKM demanded that its legal panel be allowed to meet the arrested farmers without any restrictions and its monetary help be disbursed to them. “The SKM legal panel has strongly condemned the Delhi government and the police for issuing notice under section 160 CrPC to the farmers in order to rope them in false cases,” it stated. Under this section, an investigating officer, by order in writing, can direct any person to present before him or her if it appears that the person is acquainted with the facts and circumstances of the case. Thousands of farmers, mostly from Punjab, Haryana, and western Uttar Pradesh, have been camping at three Delhi border points — Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur — for nearly 80 days, demanding a repeal of the three agri laws and a legal guarantee on minimum support price (MSP). Meanwhile, the Delhi Police’s Crime Branch on Saturday took actor-activist Deep Sidhu and another accused Iqbal Singh to Red Fort to recreate the scene of events that unfolded at the historic monument on the Republic Day during the farmer’s tractor parade, a police officer said. Sidhu, according to the police, was a “prominent player” in the violence and vandalism at the Red Fort.