Farmers' Protest Outside Haryana CM's Residence Turns Violent; Barricades Broken, Water Cannon Used

As world celebrated ‘International Day of Non-violence’ on Saturday, thousands of protesters, shouting slogans and waving flags against Centre’s farm laws, gathered outside the residence of Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar in Karnal. Police had to use water cannon against them as they broke barricades.

The farmers assembled outside Khattar’s residence after Centre decided to delay paddy procurement in Punjab and Haryana till October 11. Some reports stated that clashes between protesters and the law enforcing agencies were taking place at several points in the city as farmers were trying to break police barricades to reach the residences of MLAs.

Paramilitary forces have been deployed outside Khattar’s residence, while roads leading to his house have also been barricaded by Haryana Police. “Peaceful protest is the right of people but if they indulge in any sort of violence or block the highways or main roads, legal action shall be taken. We are closely monitoring the situation,” a senior Haryana police officer was quoted as saying by Indian Express.

Similar protests were witnessed in Jhajjar and Ambala a day ago. The Haryana Police used water cannons on Friday to disperse farmers who had gathered in the two cities to oppose events of BJP and JJP leaders. In Jhajjar, the protesters jumped barricaded and tried to enter the venue where Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala was to attend a programme.

The venue of the event was a government college in Jhajjar. The police said they used a water cannon to disperse the protesters as they gathered near the venue and some of them jumped over the barricades to force their way inside.

Jhajjar’s senior police officials and the deputy commissioner reached the spot to oversee law and order. In Ambala district too, the police used a water cannon to disperse a group of farmers who had blocked a road leading to the venue where a party meeting was to be held by the BJP.

As soon as the farmers got the information that state BJP chief O P Dhankar and Ambala MP R L Kataria would be reaching the venue for the party meeting, they started gathering in numbers. The farmers sat in the middle of the road and blocked the road leading to the venue.

The police said they used a water cannon to disperse the group of the farmers who were blocking the road. On Thursday, a group of farmers had jumped over police barricades in a bid to march towards the venue of a BJP meeting in Karnal’s Indri, police had said.

Among those present at the meeting were Indri MLA Ram Kumar Kashyap and senior state BJP leader Pawan Saini. Farmers, who are protesting against the three central farm laws, have been opposing public functions of the BJP-JJP combine in Haryana.

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