Thousands of farmers who took out a rally in Patna on Tuesday against the recent farm laws, were baton-charged by the police and prevented from reaching the Raj Bhawan. A group of citizens in Gaya also sat on a fast at the city’s Shantibagh demanding scrapping of all three bills.
The farmers had assembled at the Gandhi Maidan in the capital from several districts under the banners of the Akhil Bhartiya Kisan Mahasabha, Kisan Sangharsh Samanvay Samiti and Left parties. They then marched to the Raj Bhawan to submit a memorandum to the Governor against the farm laws.
However, the police stopped the march midway at city’s main Dak Bungalow thoroughfare. The protesting farmers sat on the road and blocked traffic, raising slogans against the farm laws and the Centre for its “dictatorial move”. Later a scuffle broke out between the protesting farmers and policemen, who resorted to a baton charge and water cannons to disperse them.
“To stop our march to Raj Bhawan when we wanted to go and present our memorandum to the Governor was injustice against farmers. Our protest march was peaceful but police used batons against us which is condemnable and unconstitutional,” said Ramadhar Singh, secretary of the State unit of Akhil Bhartiya Kisan Mahasabha said.
“We also had come out on the streets of Patna to show our solidarity with the agitating farmers in Delhi and other parts of the country,” he added.
Meanwhile, a group of over hundred people sat on a five-hour fast at Shantibagh in Gaya, demanding that the new farms bills be scrapped.
“The government should scrap all three new farms laws as soon as possible. We also have come to sit on a protest fast to show our solidarity with agitating farmers at Delhi border and in other parts of the country,” Omair Khan leading the group told The Hindu over phone.
