Haryana Police books state BKU chief Gurnam Singh Charuni, 300 others over protests against farm ordinances

Kurukshetra: The Haryana Police on Friday booked state BKU chief Gurnam Singh Charuni and 300 unidentified people for damaging public property and violating prohibitory orders, a day after farmers clashed with cops during a protest. Members of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) and other farm bodies had blocked a national highway in Kurukshetra’s Pipli and clashed with police while protesting against three Union government legislations, which they claimed were anti-farmer. Police had resorted to a lathicharge when farmers coming from the Shahbad area pushed their way to the protest site. The agitating farmers smashed windowpanes of a fire brigade vehicle and pelted police with stones. Three separate FIRs were registered at the Sadar police station in Thanesar. “These FIRs have been registered against Gurnam Singh Charuni and several unknown people for unlawful assembly, causing damage to property and preventing government employees from performing their duty, SHO Naresh Kumar said. The FIRs also include charges for the violation of the National Highway Act and the Disaster Management Act, he said. Meanwhile, the Shahbad Markanda police lodged cases against 300 unknown people. SHO Devinder Kumar said the attempt to murder charge was also added to the FIR as many tractor-borne farmers drove towards police personnel manning the barriers erected to stop them. The Kurukshetra administration had imposed prohibitory orders after the farmer bodies gave a protest call in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. However, farmers belonging to the BKU and other organisations reached Pipli in large numbers, defying the prohibitory orders. Top state Congress leaders, including AICC spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala, former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and state party chief Kumari Selja, on Friday expressed solidarity with the farmers. Farmers in Haryana are demanding a rollback of the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance; Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Ordinance; and Essential Commodities (Amendment) Ordinance, promulgated by the Centre.