The protests by farmers with a single demand of repealing the new Farm Acts have already been going on for two months. Arguments are rife that the Narendra Modi government, which did not know how to suppress the movement, has tried a backdoor method. About a hundred farmers have gone missing after a tractor rally in Delhi, which turned violent on Republic Day. An interesting debate has now come up as to what has happened to all those who hailed from Punjab. At the same time, the police, who are supposed to keep the protesters at bay tried to come onto the roads on Saturday stating that they were not safe. There have been claims that a plan was being hatched with the intention of suppressing the peasant movement.
As part of its plans to end the agitation, the Central Government’s talks with the leaders of the farmers’ association failed to yield any results. Violent incidents erupted during a tractor rally in Delhi on Republic Day. The Punjab Human Rights Commission (PHRC) on Saturday issued a statement saying that more than 100 farmers had gone missing since the violence. Among them are 12 farmers from Tatariwala village in Moga region. A case has also been registered at the local police station. Most of the missing were those who hoisted the flag over the Red Fort.
BKU (Rajewal) President Balbir Singh made another key statement that they would announce the list of missing farmers. The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, Khalsa Mission, Punjab Human Rights Commission have announced legal support to the affected families. Social activists Sarabjeet Singh Verka alleged that more than 400 protesters have been detained by the police. Some of them were shifted to Tihar Jail and cases were imposed against 200 persons. Few advocates have come forward to argue on their behalf for free.
How the situation has turned can be understood with the fact that the police have protested stating that there was no security for them. During the protest, some had attacked the police personnel with sticks. The farmers alleged that some unknown persons entered the rally aiming to defame the farmers and indulged in violence to thwart the agitation. However, the Modi government filed cases against them. According to some analysts, the government has chalked out a plan to end the peasant’s movement.
