Amnesty International in a recent statement has warned of the Indian government’s disproportionate restrictions on the right to peaceful protest, aimed at silencing the collective voice of the farmers. This is in response to what has come to be recognized as the “Dilli Chalo” farmers’ protest. The notable actions taken by the Indian authorities include imposing stringent limitations on group gatherings along the routes of the mitin, deploying barricades intermittently, as well as the controversial use of tear gas and rubber bullets to deter the farmers.
Participants in this significant protest are over 200 farmer unions, primarily from northern Indian states like Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, who have marched towards the Indian capital, New Delhi. Triggered by the government’s failure to ensure promised minimum crop prices, these protests are also focusing on issues such as secure pensions, debt waivers, and stringent penalties for the circulation of falsified agricultural products. This protest follows after a year-long demonstration which started in 2020; despite COVID-19, thousands of farmers camped at border-areas, protesting against the now-withdrawn agricultural reform proposals. JURIST provides a detailed account of the situation.
In a countermove, the Indian government has invoked the section 144 of the Indian Criminal Procedure Code , imposing a ban on public gatherings and establishing blockades in addition to checkpoints to prevent protesters’ entry into New Delhi. This section of the code gives a magistrate discretionary powers to issue orders, deemed necessary for maintaining peace and public order.
Amnesty International’s Chair of Board, Aakar Patel, has openly criticized these responses to the protests, emphasizing that instead of facilitating the right to protest, the government seems to be making every possible effort to repress peaceful dissent. Calls have been made for the Indian authorities to cease the suppression of peaceful dissent and take off restrictions deterring peaceful protests, including internet shutdowns inhibiting the circulation of real-time information, and illegal use of force by law enforcement officials.
Amnesty International has also frowned upon the reported use of tear gas via drones against protesters on the outskirts of Delhi, confirmed by official sources and the local media. The police fired around 4,500 tear gas grenades in six hours, leading Patel to condemn the use of excessive force, advising law enforcement to treat the usage of tear gas as a “last resort”.