New Delhi: Two days after five farmers were charged with sedition and arrested on Thursday, farmers in Haryana’s Sirsa this afternoon knocked down police barricades to show their dissent against the arrest of the farmers.
Five farmers on Thursday morning were arrested for allegedly attacking BJP leader and Haryana Assembly’s Deputy Speaker Ranbir Gangwa on July 11. A case of sedition had been registered against the five held.
Sirsa, which is about 250 km from Delhi, has been on high alert since morning as farmer leaders demanded the release of those arrested.
Sources report a 20 member committee of farmers convened with a group of officials today afternoon to discuss their demands. On Sunday, the BJP’s Ranbir Gangwa was allegedly attacked and his official vehicle was damaged during a protest against the contentious farm laws. More than 100 farmers faced sedition charges while only five amongst them were arrested.
In an official statement earlier this week, SMK( Samyukt Kisan Morcha ) slammed the charges, calling them “false, frivolous and cooked up” and vowing to contest them in court.
This incident is reported at a time when the Supreme Court has questioned the relevance of sedition law, describing it as “colonial”. BJP-Jannayak Janata party alliance in Haryana has been facing multiple controversies over the controversial farm laws.