On June 7, Haryana Police used force to clear National Highway 44 (NH-44) at Shahbad in Kurukshetra of protesting farmers following orders from Punjab and Haryana High Court. Under the banner of Bhartiya Kisan Union (Chaduni), the farmers had blocked the national highway demanding procurement of sunflower at minimum support price (MSP).
Farmers' Protest: Punjab & Haryana High Court Directs Haryana Govt To Ensure Unhindered Traffic On NH-44, Asks State To Use Force As Last Resort @AimanChishti https://t.co/defyKAotUM
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Hundred of farmers led by union president Gurnam Singh Chaduni had gathered in Shahbad to hold a ”mahapanchayat”. They were protesting against the MSP announced by the Haryana government to procure sunflowers. At around 12:30 PM, the protesting farmers started moving towards the highway and staged a sit-in protest at a flyover. The police first requested them to move and lift the blockade. However, when the protesters did not heed the request, the Haryana Police used force to remove them. Water cannons and batons were used to clear the protesters by the police.
Notably, the police used force following the orders by Punjab and Haryana High Court that directed the Haryana Police to ensure safe and smooth movement on the national highway. The High Court passed the order during the hearing of a PIL filed against the blockade of the highway. In the PIL, advocate Padamkant Dwivedi, appearing for the applicant Randeep Tanwar, informed the court that there was a possibility that the protesters would block the highway. To support his plea, Dwivedi presented video recordings of some news channels in the court where union leaders were heard asking the administration to divert the traffic from NH-44 as they would block it soon.
#Haryana farmers protest reaches High Court
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'Keep highway open': Court comes to rescue of citizens
@Gurpreet_Chhina reports | #FarmersProtest pic.twitter.com/SUqbjXgzdz
The court directed the Haryana Government’s officials to ensure that NH-44 be kept open for “free flow and movement of the traffic, without any hindrance, so that the public is not put to any kind of inconvenience”. Calling the NH-44 lifeline of the country that connects the length and breadth of India, the court made it clear that the administration should exercise utmost restraint and use force to disperse the mob only as a last resort, which the police did.
Demands of the protesting farmers
Chaduni has accused the government of announcing an earlier MSP of Rs 6,400 for Sunflower, but it was not being procured at the specified rate. He said, “Citing losses due to the crashing of oil prices, the government is offering Rs 4,800 per quintal as procurement price and another Rs 1,000 under the Bhavantar Bharpai scheme. The farmers are at a loss of Rs 600 compared to the MSP.”
He added if the government was allowed to procure the crop below the MSP, “similar tactics will be adopted for the other crops”. Deputy Commissioner Shantanu Sharma and SP Surinder Singh Bhoria were at the protest site to alleviate the situation. In a statement, SP said, “The NH-44 is an arterial road. Repeated attempts to pacify the farmers proved futile. The mild force was used, and there is no report of any serious injury.” The highway was cleared by 7:40 PM.
Farmer protests blocked roads for months
In August 2020, farmer unions started nationwide protests, mainly concentrated in Punjab and Haryana, against now-repealed three agriculture laws. In November 2020, farmers from Punjab, Haryana, and other nearby states started moving towards Delhi. They were stopped at the borders, where sit-in protests continued for months until the government repealed the farm laws.
