100 protesting farmers in Haryana charged with sedition

The Haryana Police has charged 100 protesting farmers with sedition and attempt to murder pertaining to the protests held on July 11 against the three controversial farm laws and the BJP-Jannayak Janata Party's members, reports NDTV. In Sirsa district, Haryana, farmers allegedly attacked and damaged Deputy Speaker Ranbir Gangwa's official vehicle. Harcharan Singh and Prahlad Singh, leaders of the farmers' movement, have also been named in the FIR.

"Farmer leaders Harcharan Singh and Prahlad Singh and around 100 farmers have been booked under false cases... with grave charge of sedition... merely because they were protesting against Haryana Deputy Speaker in Sirsa," the protesting farmers' group Samyukt Kisan Morcha said. "SKM strongly condemns false, frivolous and cooked-up sedition charges, and indeed all other charges, against farmers and farmer leaders under instructions of the anti-farmer BJP government of Haryana." They further vowed to contest the charges in court.

Farmers in Haryana clashed several times with the police last week after their demonstrations in Fatehabad, Jhajjar, Hisar, and Yamunanagar clashed with the police. They have resolved to not let the members of the ruling alliance address public events as long as their demands for repealing the three farm laws are not met. Though the Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar has called upon the farmers for another round of talks, he also clarified that the three laws will not be repealed.

Farmers have been protesting the three farm laws passed by the Centre since June last year. The protesting farmers now intend to protest in front of the parliament when it convenes for the monsoon session on July 19.