Farmers firm on IAS officer Ayush Sinha’s suspension in Haryana

Parveen Arora

Tribune News Service

Karnal, September 7

Following reports of a huge gathering at the kisan mahapanchayat in the grain market here today, the district authorities called the SKM leaders for talks in the afternoon.

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Senior SKM leaders, including Rakesh Tikait, Balbir Rajewal, Darshan Pal, Yogendra Yadav and Gurnam Charuni and others, attended the meeting with DC Nishant Kumar Yadav and SP Ganga Ram Punia.

The meeting started at 1.15 pm and lasted for around two hours. Farmers went to the meeting with three demands, including the suspension of the then SDM and IAS officer Ayush Sinha, along with police officials involved in the lathicharge, Rs 25 lakh compensation for the family and a job for the son of deceased farmer Sushil Kajal. They also demanded a Rs 2 lakh relief for each injured farmer.

Sinha has already been transferred in a reshuffle involving some IAS officers and now posted as Additional Secretary in the Citizen Resources Information Department.

As per sources, during the meeting, only the first demand for the suspension of the 2018-batch IAS officer was raised by the farmers. The DC and SP rejected it and asked the farmers to come up with other demands, but the latterrefused to discuss anything else. They asked the administration to discuss their first demand and others later.

SKM leader Yogendra Yadav said: “Like Kauravas’ refusal to part with just five villages, the government didn’t even accept our minimum demands. Three rounds of talks remained inconclusive.”

Gurnam Charuni said in the three rounds of talks, they had raised the demand of the suspension and inquiry against the IAS officer, but the authorities denied it.

Meanwhile, DC Nishant Kumar Yadav said they had called the farmers for talks and discussed the issues with them positively. “We are in touch with them to resolve the issues,” the DC added.

How events unfolded

9.30 pm Farmers started assembling in grain market

12 pm All main SKM leaders were on stage

12.45 pm The district administration offered for dialogue

1.15 pm Admn, farm leaders’ meeting start

3.15 pm The meeting ended

3.45 pm Farm leaders held meeting in grain market

4 pm Farmers started march towards the mini-secretariat

6.15 pm Farmers overpowered the barricade near Nirmal Kutiya

6.30 pm Farmers started a dharna outside the mini-secretariat

Admn ensured tight security: Karnal DC

• DC Nishant Kumar Yadav said in view of the call to gherao the mini-secretariat, elaborate security arrangements were made by the admn to ensure no loss of life and property
• He said every effort was made to even satisfy the protesters. The farm leaders were called to the mini-sectt for talks. The meeting could not yield any result, the DC added.