Tensions escalated on Wednesday in India at the Khanauri border with the ongoing farmers’ protest taking a tragic turn. A confrontation between the protesters and the Haryana Police led to the fatality of a 24-year-old demonstrator, Shubh Karan Singh. This information has been confirmed by various politicians, including the Member of Parliament Sukhbir Singh Badal and the leader of the farmers’ protest. (link)
In response to this tragic incident, the farmers decided to suspend their “Dilli Chalo” march, planned for the next two days. Punjab’s Chief Minister, Bhagwant Mann, pledged to compensate 1 crore INR to the victim’s family. However, the Haryana Police initially denied that any fatalities occurred due to the conflict. They stated that the protesters surrounded and attacked the police force using sticks, maces and stones. The Haryana government has subsequently invoked the National Security Act.
While the farmers’ protest leaders uphold that their demonstration was peaceful, they openly criticized the government’s procrastination in addressing their demands. Amnesty International criticized the Indian Government’s undue limitations on the right to a peaceful protest in an attempt to suppress the “Dilli Chalo” protests.
This conflict erupted as a result of heightened tensions at the Khanauri border. The farmers have been advocating for guaranteed minimum support prices (MSPs) for agricultural produce. Among their many demands, relief from agricultural debts, opposition to Foreign Direct Investment and the corporatization of farming are noteworthy, although their primary focus remains on assurance of MSPs. Annually, the government introduces support prices for over 20 crops, but this only benefits a small fraction of farmers as purchases at these levels are mainly limited to rice and wheat.