PANIPAT : Hundreds of jawans of paramilitary forces and policemen from different districts of Haryana have been deputed to Karnal as chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s constituency of emerges as the new epicentre of the ongoing farmers’ agitation.
A kisan mahapanchayat of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) at Karnal’s grain market is due to be held Tuesday. The farmers have also decided to gherao the Karnal mini secretariat to protest the lathicharge against them on August 28.
By deputing 40 companies of paramilitary forces, diverting traffic and barricading every nook and corner of Karnal, the administration has given the farmers to understand that they will not be allowed to gherao the mini secretariat.
Paramilitary jawans gathered in Karnal over the past 24 hours, and the administration deployed officials of different departments to monitor the barricading of Karnal grain market where the farmers are scheduled to hold a meeting at 10am.
As per the officials monitoring the security arrangements, the administration will not allow the farmers to gherao the mini secretariat, which is around 5km away from the grain market. SKM leaders have said that they will break barricades on their way to the mini secretariat if the police try to stop them.
Farmers to gather in groups
SKM leaders have asked farmers to gather in groups and requested those in nearby districts to bring their tractor- trolleys. “We request the farmers to come in groups, avoid any confrontation with the police, and cross the barricades peacefully. Even if the police beat you, don’t react,” said Haryana Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) chief Gurnam Singh Charuni to farmers.
There are reports that thousands of farmers will also come from Singhu and Tikri borders of Delhi, as senior leaders from SKM are likely to attend this meeting, to call for the action against Karnal sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Ayush Sinha, who allegedly directed the police to hit farmers on the head if they crossed the barricades on August 28.
