PM Modi repeals farm laws, Haryana farmers demands removal of over 150 FIRs

Farmers’ organisations in Haryana are demanding that the state government dismiss all criminal cases filed against farmers during the ongoing farmers’ agitation, following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement that the Centre has chosen to abolish three contentious central agriculture legislations.

Currently, around 150 FIRs have been filed against farmers throughout the 22 districts of the state.

The Haryana Police had recently begun sending notifications to farm protestors who had been arrested in various cases during their ongoing agitation. Farmers, for their part, had been gheraoing police stations in protest of the FIRs. They also asked protesters who received such alerts to refrain from responding until their agitation had begun.

While just a few hundred protesters are mentioned as defendants in these FIRs for allegedly smashing police barriers and gheraoing BJP-JJP officials during the uprising, the total number of farmers arrested is significantly greater.

The state government announced in August during the Assembly session that 136 FIRs had been filed against farmers demonstrating against the three farm laws in Haryana over the previous 11 months. Two of the FIRs were filed on sedition allegations. Several more FIRs were filed against agricultural protestors after August.

According to sources, police haven’t arrested many of the farmers in connection with the FIRs because of the potential for resistance.

Farm leaders also urged demonstrators not to go to any police station, even if they were summoned for the same. They had stated that the matter of FIRs should be handled only after the three farm legislation have been decided.

According to sources, police began distributing notifications to demonstrators through local sarpanches, numberdars, and chowkidars in this situation.