Singhu Border, 5 October (Sangrami Lehar Bureao)- After the brutal and barbaric incidents of Sunday in Lakhimpur Kheri, where four protesting farmers and a local journalist were mowed down by vehicles to their death, there were questions raised about the protestors and their violent behaviour. It was only a matter of time that the true narrative of the reality of the incidents in Lakhimpur Kheri had to emerge. That happened in the early hours today with a video, where even “bhakt” TV channels of India had to demand justice by their own standards, even though no media house offered any apology and correction for the narrative that was spun since Sunday night. In the video, it was clear that the explanation given by the Minister Ajay Mishra Teni and his son was proven to be false. The vehicles of the Minister fatally mowed down peacefully walking unaware protestors who were returning from their protest. Many eyewitness accounts are now being captured on videos which also reveal that the Minister’s Son Ashish Mishra was indeed driving the ‘Thar’ vehicle, from which he later got down and ran away, with cover and support provided by the police, and while firing on protestors. The journalist Raman Kashyap’s family is pointing out that he also got killed by vehicles crushing him.
SKM maintains its earlier statement that one of the protestors was shot dead by the Mantriputr team. Gurvinder Singh s/o Sukhwinder Singh (20 years) from Mukronya Nanpara died because of bullet injury. The first post-mortem did not confirm this, however. In his case, a re-post-mortem will be conducted by a team of doctors from AIIMS, BHU, PGI and a senior forensic doctor in Bahraich, under video recording and in the presence of SKM representatives. Cremation of the bodies of the other martyred farmers will take place today, after obtaining post mortem reports. At the time of release of this press note, one cremation took place.
SKM leader Tajinder Virk, who was grievously injured in the Lakhimpur Kheri Massacre was operated upon, with a neuro-surgery procedure, after being shifted to Medanta Hospital in Gurugram. He is reported to be out of danger now, and SKM wishes him and all other injured persons a full and speedy recovery.
The agreement with the administration yesterday was only to pave way for the last rites to be performed. The key demands of SKM remain. Samyukt Kisan Morcha demands the immediate arrest of Ashish Mishra Teni and his accomplices. SKM also demands the dismissal of Ajay Mishra Teni and Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar from their posts immediately. The morality or lack of it, of the present Government already stands fully exposed. SKM will soon announce a program of action for getting these main demands met, and the agitation will not be called off until then.
SKM condemns the arrest and detention of Gurnam Singh Chaduni, SKM leader by the Uttar Pradesh government for many hours from last evening. The undemocratic and authoritarian behaviour of UP government is illegal and challenged by SKM. It is clear that the Yogi Government is wary of the truth of Lakhimpur Kheri massacre emerging fully in front of the world and is protecting its own. SKM condemns the attempts of UP government to prevent people from Punjab to come to Lakhimpur Kheri, and asks UP government to withdraw its letter to Punjab Government Chief Secretary with regard to the same. Reports are coming in that UP police is preventing and harassing farmers from other places who want to attend the last rites of two youth from Bahraich district who got martyred in Lakhimpur Kheri. SKM demands that the UP government stop its undemocratic behaviour and not take away basic rights of citizens.
A protest organised outside UP Bhawan in New Delhi ended with scores of protestors being picked up and detained for many hours by Delhi Police in Mandir Marg Police Station yesterday.
In Rajasthan, farmers who had been protesting in Hanumangarh, at the Collectorate, for paddy procurement have been lathi-charged by the police. Video footage shows that police were chasing farmers and raining indiscriminately their lathis on farmers running. SKM strongly condemns this police violence on protesting farmers. It is reported that some farmers have been injured and hospitalised. SKM asks state governments being run by various political parties to show their support and empathy towards farmers by providing them with basic rights like procurement, price support, disaster compensation and so on, rather than just use the farmers’ movement for political gains. Rajasthan Government has to commence paddy procurement as is being asked by farmers, and also ensure that crops do not get destroyed due to lack of supply of irrigation water.
The farmer movement is gaining greater momentum and intensity in states like Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana, West Bengal and the spontaneous protests from numerous places to express outrage and resistance against Lakhimpur Kheri massacre of farmers showcases this. It would be in detractors’ own self interest to not ignore the growing strength of the farmers’ movement.
Protests against BJP leaders are continuing in numerous places. Yesterday, in Fatehabad of Haryana, a large number of farmers gathered with black flags to protest against MP Sunita Duggal who finally did not turn up. In Meerut, former Minister and MLC Chaudhary Virendra Singh had to face a black flag protest at Siwaya Toll Plaza.
Today, the Lokneeti Satyagraha Yatra that started in Champaran on Gandhi Jayanti, entered its fourth day. After departing from Khorampur (Gopalganj district) this morning, the Yatra reached Mangalpur Bazaar this afternoon. Here too, it received a warm welcome from local people. The Kisan Janjagaran Padayatra will reach Madarpur in Siwan district by tonight. Each day of the Yatra, a key question is being posed to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Today’s question being posed by young and old farmers alike is – when will the government enact a MSP guarantee statute for farmers? The padayatra is also demanding the immediate dismissal of the Union Minister Ajay Mishra Teni and arrest of his son Ashish Mishra.
SKM press release covered this issue yesterday in detail, and we have decided to reiterate this again – Reports indicate that Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi criticised opposition political parties sharply in an interview, alleging that the opposition parties are indulging in political deceit and moral dishonesty when they oppose the farm laws. He has reportedly said that parties who promised certain reforms in their election promises and even their manifestos, have taken a u-turn later on and did not have the boldness to carry through their promises. Samyukt Kisan Morcha would like to remind the Prime Minister of his own inconsistent stands and U-turns. The Modi Government went back on a commitment made on the floor of the Parliament, in fact, when it comes to making MSP a reality for all produce and farmers. It is high time that BJP looked into its own political dishonesty in making direct promises to farmers and reneging on them. SKM also reiterates that the so-called “reforms” are not beneficial for farmers, irrespective of which party is proposing these. These “reforms” are meant to facilitate the business of agri-corporations at the expense of millions of farmers in the country. Farmers did not ask for such reforms, and do not want them. They demand a full repeal of all the 3 pro-corporate and anti-farmer laws. It is high time that the Modi Government fulfilled all the demands of the farmers in the current agitation, since the implications of not doing so are a matter of life and death of millions of anna daatas of the country. SKM asks BJP to stop its political dishonesty of making promises to farmers and reneging on them.