Farmers’ Union Writes To Prez Demanding End To ‘Repression’

On the occasion of ‘Daman Pratirodh Diwas’ marked by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) on Wednesday, the umbrella body of protesting farmer unions sent a letter to President Ram Nath Kovind, demanding an end to repression of the protesting farmers and their supporters.

According to a press note, several other associated organisations also took up the taluka and district-level protests in hundreds of locations across the country to submit the memorandum to the President.

The farmer union body welcomed Bengaluru climate activist Disha Ravi’s release on bail in the ‘toolkit’ document case and hailed many observations made by Judge Dharmendar Rana in his orders, while demanding immediate action against the Delhi Police in this case “who flouted many norms” and arrested Disha Ravi in an “illegal and extra-constitutional manner”.

Disha Ravi, who was arrested for her involvement in sharing a ‘toolkit’ on social media in connection with the ongoing farmers’ protest, was released from Delhi’s Tihar jail on Tuesday after she was granted bail by a Delhi court, confirmed prison officials.

The organisation further condemned the action of Bihar Police in Sitamarhi of registering cases against protestors associated with SKM in the ‘rail roko’ protest and asked for an immediate withdrawal of all such cases.

Meanwhile, ‘Mahapanchayats’ being organised by SKM continue, with strong participation of farmers in different locations of Haryana, Rajasthan and other states.

Farmers have been protesting at the different borders of the national capital since November last year, against the three newly enacted farm laws – Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers’ Empowerment and Protection Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.