Day 176

Toll 476 (approx.)

#FarmersProtest

Lies

On May 16, when police lathi charged and tear gassed farmers in Hisar, the farmers gheraoed the Inspector General police bungalow and threatened to gherao all police stations in Haryana the next day. Farmer leaders and IG Police reached an agreement that all detained farmers will be released, police will repair around 25 farmer vehicles destroyed in the fracas, and neither farmers nor police will press charges. The situation was diffused.

The day before yesterday, the police has filed a complaint against 350 farmers for injuring their cadre. The case has been registered under sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with a deadly weapon), 188 (obstructing public servant in discharge of his public functions), 307 (attempt to murder), 353 (assault or use of criminal force to deter a public servant from discharge of his duty) of the Indian Penal Code.

This is an exact instance of how the state lies, how the state betrays its own promise, how the state creates a trust deficit. Now tell me if the state does this for a public outrage event, what will it do with Farm Laws?

It is illustrated in another example. A month back government increased the price of DAP fertiliser and has now announced a subsidy on it, such that the farmer gains nothing and fertilizer companies rake in the moolah. Before the price hike, when actual price of fertilizer was Rs 1700, it was available to the farmer for Rs 1200. A month ago, the price of DAP was increased to Rs 2400. Yesterday, the government announced a subsidy of Rs 1200. This is just a PR spiel by the government and benefits corporates, not farmers.

This is what the farmers and labour know from their long experience of being on the receiving side of the state because they have committed the singular crime of being private entrepreneurs on their lands.

For many months now, farmers have been asking for diesel prices to be reduced by 50%. There has been no action from the government so far.

Given the police case on farmers in Hisar, the farmers have decided to gherao the Hisar Commissioner’s office. Towards this the farmers have issued an open invite to all farmers to reach Hisar Kranti Park at 10 am on May 24th.

The farmers will nail the lies of the state.