Uttar Pradesh CM should apologise for calling farmers' protest 'anarchy': SKM

New Delhi: The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) on Thursday said Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath should apologise for allegedly calling farmers' struggle "anarchy", and called upon the judiciary and political parties to intervene.

"The SKM demands apology from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for calling farmers struggle anarchy. Right to Protest is a constitutional right of all citizens of India and the Indian Constitution was established through the great struggle of the people in two phases of struggles for Independence marked by 1857 and 1947 against the British Colonialism and feudalism," the SKM said in a statement.

"Humiliating the protest of farmers for their rights as anarchy is unexpected from a person holding the constitutional position of the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh," said the umbrella body of farmers' organisations which led the 2020-21 farmers' protests.

"Yogi Adityanath has to immediately withdraw the statement and tender apology," they said.

The SKM alleged the Uttar Pradesh Police is trespassing the houses of farmer leaders and detaining them on the pretext of 'house arrest' when there are no such clauses in the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) or the Bharatiya Nagarik Surkahsa Sanhita (BNSS).

They said SKM leader Tajinder Singh Virk -- who was critically injured in the Lakhimpur Kheri massacre -- was detained at the Katghar police station for more than three hours and Rakesh Tikait was detained by the Aligarh Police to prevent them from attending the Kisan Mahapanchayat at the Yamuna Expressway on December 4.

"Farmers are not criminals or extremists and SKM considers these are unlawful actions to suppress the democratic form of protest of farmers on their genuine demands," they said.

They said farmers have resolved to fight this and more than a hundred farmers, including women, courted arrest on Thursday and announced to continue to court arrest in the days to come.

"SKM seeks the intervention of the judiciary and also the political parties into these serious violations of fundamental rights," they added.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday directed officials not to spare anyone "spreading anarchy" and recover the costs for any damage to public property from the perpetrators.