SKM Hits Out At Delhi Police For Issuing Notices To Farmers

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), which has been agitating against the Centre’s three agri laws, on Wednesday hit out at the Delhi Police for issuing notices to farmers, asking them to join the investigation in connection with cases related to the January 26 incident.

The police, however, said such notices are issued under relevant sections of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) in the normal course of any investigation.

A senior Delhi Police officer said, “Notices have been issued as part of our ongoing investigation into the matter.”

A statement issued by the legal panel of the SKM “strongly condemned” the action of Delhi Police of issuing the notices u/s 160 CrPC to farmers to join the investigation in cases relating to the January 26 incident.

According to SKM, notices were issued to farmers Karanpreet Singh and Maninderjit Singh, who belong to the Jalandhar and Faridkot districts of Punjab, and they have been asked to appear at the concerned police station on September 3 for investigation purposes.

Another such notice has also been issued to Surjit Singh Swaich, an advocate of Punjab and Haryana High Court and ex-secretary of High Court Bar Association, it said.

In the statement, Prem Singh Bhangu, convener of the panel alleged, “Delhi Police is doing this unconstitutional and illegal act at the instance of the central government because neither farmers to whom the notices have been issued are named in the FIRs nor have they have participated in any violent activity.”

The SKM directed the farmers not to appear before the investigation officers and accused the police of intending to “falsely implicate” them in the cases.

A farmers’ tractor rally on Republic Day had turned violent, with a large group of protesters clashing with security personnel and storming the Red Fort, where they hoisted a religious flag. (PTI)