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On 12th of April Ram
Phal Kandela Gen Sec. BKU, Haryana, Mahender Singh, President of Jind Distt.,
and one more leader were invited for a meeting by the distt. administration of
Jind. As they reached they were arrested. After that more than 20 peasant
leaders from different districts have been arrested . The family members and
relatives of the other leaders are being harassed as they have gone underground.
For the last ten
years a battle is being fought between the farmer’s organisation of Haryana and
the state Govts. Along with the struggle for remunerative prices, the union was
also fighting for the decrease in the prices of the inputs. They stopped paying
the charges of electricity since 1992 both of household and agriculture as a
protest. Now the electricity charges for household and agriculture has gone up
to lacs of rupees for each family which they are unable to pay.
Recent Episode:
On 23rd November2001,
the administration totally stopped the supply of electricity to many villages
near Kandela village of Jind Distt. On 3rd December the Villagers of Kandela
organised a rally. On 5th December the state body of BKU met in Kandela village
and gave a 15-day’s ultimatum to the govt. On 20th December. about 20,000 people
came to Kandela village and an indefinite dharna was started. On 21st Dec. the
administration invited the leadership for negotiations at 4.00p.m but refused to
start the supply of electricity. Leaders of the farmers announced that they
would block the road. But at the same time the police held a flag march on the
road. Then, at 4.00 p.m. the confrontation with the police started. Police
resorted to tear gas shelling, lathi charge and firing while the people
forcefully got Ghasi Ram Nain released from the police when the police was
taking him away. In this firing three people were injured.
Then at about 5.30
p.m. the D.C. of Jind and the DGP, Haryana & other police officers also came to
the spot. The police started firing indiscriminately. A total of 37 people got
injuries in this firing while in the retaliation of the people five police
persons were injured and about four govt. vehicles were burnt.
On 22nd and 23rd
December the road blockade at Kandela village continued. At this juncture Mr.
O.P.Singla D.I.G of Haryana Police came as a mediator. He assured the leadership
that electricity supply will be started immediately but he insisted for
negotiation with the govt. But on 26th, the chief minister of Haryana Mr.
Chautala threatened that the govt. will get the bills deposited. In this
background again the State level unit of BKU met and decided to hold a state
level rally at Kandela village on 8th of January. After the rally an indefinite
dharana started at village Kandela. On 9th January Mr. Abhay Chautala, son of
the chief minister and an MLA and agriculture minister had talks with the BKU
and declared that ‘No dues certificate for electricity charges’ shall not
be asked for in any official work. It is to be remembered that the Haryana govt.
made such a certificate compulsory to get any work or certificate from the govt.
The Govt. declared a four member committee for negotiations comprising Ajay
Chautala, Haryana agriculture minister, Ramphal Kundu and Mr. Kajal. 15th
January was set for talks that were postponed to 30th of January by govt.
officials.
On 30th January a
written agreement took place between the two sides. In the very first line of
the agreement, all cases since 1992 till today were to be withdrawn and along
with other issues it was also agreed upon that for the issue of electricity
bills again a meeting should be held on 1st March. Though the five members
committee always went to have the negotiations, the members of the committee on
behalf of the govt. never came for the meetings. Now the Haryana govt. instead
of implementing the agreement has started its repressive campaign.
The remaining leaders
of the BKU have gone underground. Mr. Ghasi Ram Nain, the president of BKU has
been declared a proclaimed offender and a prize of 10,000 has been declared on
his head. It is the first time in the history of the farmer’s movement in India,
that the police have declared a prize on the head of a farmer’s leader. And also
the police are encircling stronghold villages of the BKU.
The BKU Haryana is a
constituent of FAIG (an anti-imperialist front comprising the AIPRF and other
organisations). The FAIG’s organisations from Haryana and Punjab discussed the
repressive campaign of Chautala and are planning to fight it out collectively.
On its own initiative Haryana BKU has given the ultimatum up to 30th of April
2002 after which they shall start the struggle.
On May 5, after a
press confrence of the BKU the police arrested 5 leaders. Those arrested
included AIPRF president, Darshan Pal, and leaders of BKU from Haryana and one
from Punjab. They have been remanded to judicial custody till May 17. A few days
later a dharna was held in Delhi against the growing repression on the farmer’s
movement in Haryana.
Meanwhile, the
underground BKU leadership, led by its president, Ghasi Ram Nain, is organising
a massive rally for May 19 at Kandella village in Jind district.
May 15, 2002
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