NEW DELHI: Amid the forceful ongoing protests, farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher has criticized the brutal tactics being employed by Haryana government, accusing it of transforming the state into another “Kashmir valley”.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the statement comes amidst escalating tensions between farmers and authorities, with road blockades and concrete walls erected at the Punjab and Haryana borders, reminiscent of the heightened security measures seen in conflict-ridden regions.
Pandher, the general secretary of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, lambasted the government’s brutal tactics, alleging widespread harassment of farmers by deployed police forces and the use of water cannons to suppress dissent. He asserted that while the media often blames farmers for road blockades, it is the government itself that has been obstructing access to vital routes, intensifying the standoff between the two sides.
“The Haryana government has sent policemen to every village to harass farmers,” Pandher declared, expressing solidarity with detained farmers in Madhya Pradesh and condemning what he perceives as a systematic effort to stifle dissent.
Central to the farmers’ demands are legal guarantees for Minimum Support Price (MSP), implementation of the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations, and justice for victims of the Lakhimpur Kheri violence. Despite a meeting with Ministers Arjun Munda and Piyush Goyal, negotiations remained inconclusive as farmers rejected proposed offers, including the formation of a committee to address their grievances.
The comparison to the Kashmir valley, the disputed territory usally referred to entire occupied Jammu and Kashmir, long marred by Indian brutalities, underscores the gravity of the situation in Haryana. As tensions escalate and protests continue to intensify, the standoff between farmers and authorities shows no signs of abating, with both sides entrenched in their respective positions.
