Agitating farmers burn effigies of PM Modi on Dasehra

Tribune News Service

Ambala, October 25

Members of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Charuni) burnt effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Ambala and Kurukshetra instead of demon king Ravana’s effigies on Sunday on the occasion of Dasehra to mark their protest against the three farm laws and cases registered against BKU leaders.

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Some BKU leaders were detained early in the morning. The police were deployed at Lakhnaur Sahib in Ambala and Pipli in Kurukshetra to foil the protests. The farmers changed their proposed locations and burnt effigies of the Prime Minister. The detained leaders were later released.

After burning an effigy in Jalbera village, farmers reached the fields near Lakhnaur Sahib and burnt effigies of Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and the PM.

Will continue to protest

We are thankful to the farmers who turned up in large numbers and burnt the effigies. The government cannot suppress the voice of farmers by getting us arrested. Farmers will continue to protest till the farm laws are withdrawn. —Gurnam Singh Charuni, BKU (charuni) Chief

“The police started detaining our activists early in the morning. The police tried to arrest me, but I managed to come,” said BKU (Charuni) chief Gurnam Singh Charuni. He burnt the effigy in Ambala.

“We are thankful to the farmers who turned up in large numbers and burnt the effigies. The government cannot suppress the voice of farmers by getting us arrested. Farmers will continue to protest till the farm laws are withdrawn,” he said.

In Kurukshetra, after finding a heavy police posse at the Pipli grain market, farmer leaders changed the venue and burnt the effigy in Shahabad. They loaded the effigy on a tractor, took out a march in Shahabad, raised slogans against the BJP government and burnt the effigy near the residence of CM’s political secretary and former Shahabad MLA Krishan Bedi amid heavy police deployment.

The protesters were led by BKU spokesman Rakesh Bains, Karam Singh Mathana and Jasbir Mamumajra. The police used water cannons to douse the flames. The farmers and policemen had heated exchanges. Two effigies were burnt in Shahabad and one in Pehowa.

After some BKU leaders were detained early in the morning, Charuni released a video, asking farmers to burn effigies at the village level and post videos of the protests on social media.

Ambala SP Rajesh Kalia said a complaint had been lodged by Anti-Terrorist Front president Viresh Shandilya that burning effigies might hurt their religious sentiments and disturb the law and order situation as they could try to stop the protesters.

As a preventive measure, a farmer leader who had been mobilising farmers was detained and later released.