Farmers demanded release of Gurnam Singh Charuni, who was arrested in Meerut

Chandigarh:

Hundreds of farmers have gathered outside Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s home in Karnal district, demanding release of a farmer leader who was arrested on Monday while going to Uttar Pradesh.

Bhartiya Kisan Union or BKU (Charuni) chief Gurnam Singh Charuni was arrested in UP’s Meerut while going to Lakhimpur Kheri, where four farmers were among eight killed after violence broke out during a protest against a visit by two ministers.

Another group of farmers have blocked the Rohtak-Panipat highway in Karnal.

Mr Charuni is the face of the nine-month-long protest against three new farm laws and has been instrumental in keeping the protest alive in Haryana.

In visuals, protesting farmers are seen gathered outside the Haryana Chief Minister’s house while a line of police SUVs act as a barrier between the protesters and the gate.

The Supreme Court on Monday sought responses from 43 farmers’ bodies and their leaders, including Rakesh Tikait, Darshan Pal and Mr Gurnam, who are leading protests at Delhi’s borders against the farm laws. The Haryana government went to the court alleging that the farmers have not been participating in talks to resolve the road blockade around the National Capital Region or NCR.

Farmers in UP’s Lakhimpur Kheri who had been protesting over yesterday’s violence decided to call off the protest from Ground Zero and cremate the dead after the government announced hefty compensations for the dead and the injured.

The government has promised to pay a compensation of Rs 45 lakh to the families of those who died. The injured will receive a compensation of Rs 10 lakh. A retired judge will investigate the matter, the government has said.

A murder case has been filed against Union Minister Ajay Mishra’s son, Ashish Mishra, who, the farmers alleged, was driving one of the three vehicles that mowed down the protesters, which triggered the violence. The protesters were trying to stop the visit of the Union Minister and Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya.