Chandigarh: Over thousands of farmers protested against the controversial farm laws – gathered outside Haryana Chief Minister ML Khattar’s Karnal residence on Saturday morning and announced their intention to mount an overnight vigil.
Farmers were shouting slogans and waving flags in protest against the farm laws. Visuals from the area show the farmers standing on top of a pile of yellow police barricades and shouting angrily, while a handful of security forces in riot gear look on.
The farmers were briefly doused with water cannons by police – with whom anti-farm law protesters have clashed several times this week alone – and who have been deployed in large numbers, with tear gas vehicles, at the spot.
Visuals of water cannons being used show a powerful jet of water fired at protestors, some of whom try to get up on their vehicles to escape.
Farmers are also protesting in grain markets in parts of the state, and outside the residences of MLAs from the ruling BJP-Jannayak Janata Party alliance in several districts.
Yesterday farmer leader Rakesh Tikait warned of protests, including at the headquarters of the district collectorate in Punjab, to press the centre to start paddy procurement on time.
This was after the centre postponed buying kharif, or monsoon, paddy from Punjab and Haryana till October 11. It said crop maturity had been delayed due to recent rains.
Also yesterday, farmers and police in the state clashed yet again as protesters marched against an event attended by Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala in Jhajjar.
Water cannons were fired to stop them, but dramatic visuals showed scores of men and women fighting back as they braved the streams of water and pushed through barricades.
That was the second consecutive day Haryana witnessed farmer-police clashes.
On Thursday chaos broke out in Karnal during an event organised by the ruling BJP.
Massive protests had erupted in Karnal last month too after police lathi charged farmers trying to block a BJP leader from reaching a party event. Ten people were injured in the clash.
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