You have strangulated the entire city and now you want to come within the city and start protest again here," the Supreme Court on Friday told a farmers' body protesting against the three farm laws and seeking directions to authorities to allow it to stage satyagrah at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.
The protests, which erupted after the Supreme Court refused to interfere with orders of the Cauvery Water Management Authority and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee directing the state to release 5,000 cusecs of water to neighbouring Tamil Nadu, have intensified.
The letter by 'Sanyukt Kisan Morcha', which represents farmer bodies mostly from Punjab, comes against the backdrop of the government holding talks with several farmers organisations from different states who the Centre claimed have extended their support to the new agriculture laws.
The deceased were identified as Shamsher Singh (around 45 years of age), a resident of Lidhra village in Punjab's Sangrur district, Jashandeep Singh (18), a resident of Chauke village in Punjab's Bathinda district, and Jagbir Singh (60), a resident of Jind in Haryana, the police said.
'He is the same man who has won honours for the country across the world.'
Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Monday replied in the negative when asked in the Lok Sabha if the government proposes to give compensation to the families of farmers who have died during the ongoing agitation against new farm laws.
While naming him as the NDA candidate for the Vice President's post, the BJP had described him as 'Kisan putra', a move seen in the political circles aimed at reaching out to the politically significant Jat community which had participated in huge numbers in the year-long farmers' protests against agriculture reform measures unveiled in June 2020.
The minister made made it clear that "nobody can be hanged without a probe just because someone demands it".
Scenes from the farmers' Delhi Chalo march and protest.
Those gathered at the Tikri border continued to hold ground as wellA decision on whether they would head to the designated protest site is expected soon.
International pop star Rihanna on Tuesday extended her support to the ongoing farmers agitation while criticising the Internet shutdown at the protest site.
Here are some of the key farmer leaders who fronted the protests.
Former Jharkhand chief minister and BJP leader Champai Soren was placed under house arrest on Sunday to prevent law and order issues in view of a protest by tribal outfits against land acquisition for a multi-crore state-run health institute, police said.
Malik had served as the 18th governor of Goa between November 3, 2019, and August 18, 2020.
The Congress had on Friday extended support to the countrywide 'chakka jam' called by the farmer unions, saying party workers will stand shoulder to shoulder with farmers in their protest.
'Seven hundred farmers lost their lives.' 'The protesting farmers were demonised and called names like andolanjiwi, Khalistani, anti-national.'
'Raj Thackeray is working at the behest of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.'
Thousands of farmers, especially from Punjab and Haryana, have been camping at various border of Delhi for almost four weeks now as formal talks between the government and representatives of farmers' unions remained deadlocked with protesting peasants refusing to accept anything less than a repeal of the newly enacted laws.
BKU leader Rakesh Tikait said they planned to meet President Droupadi Murmu and will hold another mahapanchayat in Haryana's Kurukshetra on Friday to discuss the next steps in the agitation.
>The protesters should entrust the final judgement on the farm reform laws to the Supreme Court-mandated committee of experts and return to their villages, argues Virendra Kapoor.
He also said that most of the farmers were "satisfied" with the steps taken by the central government, and added that their interests were "safe and secure" in its hands.
Modi has in the past taken to addressing the nation to make major announcements, like demonetisation in 2016 or India's successful test of Anti-Satellite Missile to join an elite club of countries in 2019.
'The BJP's top leadership realised that their cadres are not happy with them, so they changed the ministers and got in new faces.'
An assistant grade employee of the Madhya Pradesh government was suspended on Thursday on charges of showing 'insensitivity' and being 'negligent' towards an elderly farmer who rolled on the floor of Mandsaur district collectorate to protest alleged land grabbing, an official said.
The members of the farmers' unions while on their way to the protest site removed barricades put up by police and forcibly entered the road leading to the 'dharna'.
As it gains commercial viability, the food will likely become a powerful political currency.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, speaking at the University of Oxford, stressed the importance of inclusive development and stated that division in society is counterproductive. She emphasized that her governance model prioritizes the welfare of all sections of society and does not allow discrimination, highlighting the state's diverse population and the need for a human-centric approach.
India has called the remarks by foreign leaders on protests by farmers as "ill-informed" and "unwarranted" as the matter pertained to the internal affairs of a democratic country.
'These Marathas are farmers and they only do farming. They have no other business other than farming. Now, they want reservations because farming is no longer a profitable business.'In this interview, veteran farmers' rights advocate and founding member of the Shetkari Sanghatna, Vijay Jawandhia, with Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff unpacks the historical and structural roots of the agitation.
Following allegations by a section of farmers from Vijayapura district that their lands were marked as Waqf properties, Karnataka Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil on Monday said the notices issued to them will be withdrawn, and the Deputy Commissioner is inquiring into the 'mistake'.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, in a tweet said the rights to peaceful assembly and expression should be protected both offline and online.
Uttar Pradesh cops opened fire in Tappal village of Aligarh district on Saturday night on farmers protesting against inadequate compensation given to them for acquisition of their land for building the much talked about 165-km long Yamuna Expressway between Noida and Agra.
In a terse message, the ministry further added that "it is also best that diplomatic conversations are not misrepresented for political purposes."
Minister of state for home affairs Nityanand Rai told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply that "the police and public order are state subjects as per the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India. The information in this regard is maintained by the respective state governments."
The protests against farm laws saw a fair share of controversies as well with climate activist Greta Thunberg and pop sensation Rihanna making their way to India's prime time debates and terms such as 'toolkit' and 'andolanjeevi' entering the Indian political lexicon.
The marches will also register the farmers' protest against non-fulfilment of various promises by the government, farmer leaders said.
'The government has adopted the policy of talking big in front of the media but in reality, nothing much has changed'
Eight people were killed -- four farmers allegedly run over and four people in a convoy of BJP workers who were lynched -- on Sunday as violence erupted during a farmers' protest in Lakhimpur Kheri district in Uttar Pradesh.
Land plots filled with wild grasses near Ghazipur, Tikri and Singhu protest sites have been converted into well-curated nurseries with a variety of flowers like marigold and rose.
Robust procurement of paddy and wheat since 2017 and prompt payment to farmers have helped the UP government cultivate a positive and pro-farmer perception, defusing possible farm face-off situations.
