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Farmers' agitation: 2 sedition cases, 136 FIRs registered against protesters, Haryana Assembly told

The cases were lodged in 18 districts and thousands of protesters, most of them unknown, have been booked in 136 FIRs
Last Updated 20 August 2021, 18:28 IST

Two cases of sedition and 136 other FIRs have been registered against protesters so far during the agitation against the Centre’s new farm laws in the state, the Haryana Assembly was informed on Friday.

In a written reply to a question raised by Congress MLA B B Batra, Home Minister Anil Vij said during the agitation against the farm laws in Haryana, 136 First Information Reports (FIRs) have been registered till date against the protesting farmers.

Apart from this, two FIRs have been registered against the farmers under Section 124-A of the IPC relating to sedition.

According to the reply, the cases were lodged in 18 districts and thousands of protesters, most of them unknown, have been booked in 136 FIRs, which pertain to various IPC sections, including rioting, armed with deadly weapon, disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant and assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty.

All the 138 cases were registered since September 2020.

In the first sedition case registered in Sirsa in July, two people have been named while 80-90 unidentified individuals are also mentioned as accused. In the second such case registered in Jhajjar's Bahadurgarh in January, one person has been named as accused.

Vij said the two cases were registered on the basis of the statement of complainants.

A case was registered on July 11 at the Civil Lines Police Station, Sirsa under Section 124-A, and the statement of the complaint was recorded by the duty magistrate, according to which the agitating farmers attacked the convoy of the deputy speaker of Haryana Assembly.

Another case was registered on January 15 at Bahadurgarh Police Station, Jhajjar against an individual for allegedly uploading a video on social media in which he vowed to “attack the government with a cannon” if it did not pay heed to the protesting farmers, Vij said in his reply.

Most of the cases have been registered in Kurukshetra, Sonipat, Bhiwani, Hisar, Sirsa and Fatehabad districts, Vij said.

During Zero Hour, Congress MLAs raised the issue of farmers' agitation and said thousands of peasants have been protesting against the farm laws for nearly nine months.

Batra said farmers are being booked under sedition charge and questioned the need for invoking such a provision.

“Due to which action of farmers is the sovereignty and integrity of the country in danger. This law was brought by the British to curb freedom of movement and now it is being used against peasants,” said Batra, while alleging that maximum number of sedition cases in the country have been registered during the BJP rule “as they cannot tolerate any voice of dissent”.

Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda said the issue is not of the farmers of Haryana alone, but the entire country.

“For nine months, farmers are sitting at the borders. Why cannot government frame a law making it a punishable offence for anyone purchasing farmers' produce below MSP,” Hooda, who is the Leader of Opposition in Haryana Assembly, said.

However, BJP MLA Abhe Singh Yadav said the opposition has been unable to point out any shortcomings in the farm laws and has only been politicizing the issue.

Another BJP legislator Ganshyam Dass Arora said the agri laws were in interests of farmers.

Everyone has the right to protest within the ambit of law, but that should not infringe upon the rights of others, he said.

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(Published 20 August 2021, 18:28 IST)

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