Brutal tactics
Sir — The purported directive of the Karnal sub-divisional officer, Ayush Sinha, to police personnel to break the heads of protesting farmers to enforce law and order was cruel; it was an open call to violence. The justification for this — the SDO reportedly did not sleep for two consecutive days — is bizarre.
It is a shame that an Indian Administrative Service officer doubling as a duty magistrate thought that this was the best way to deal with protesters. He could not have been unaware of the constitutional right to protest. His action might have been emboldened by the hope that the state government would protect him. The use of force on farmers for blocking a national highway and causing congestion was completely unjustified. It was disturbing to watch farmers being felled to the ground. A farmer is reported to have died in the aftermath of the lathi-charge.
It is unfortunate that the chief minister of Haryana, Manohar Lal Khattar, has not been receptive to the farmers’ demand for the dismissal of the SDO and the policemen responsible. In fact, he endorsed the measures taken by saying that ‘strong action’ was needed. He was expected to have some sympathy for the farmers even though he heads a state ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party, which passed the three new farm laws.
Repressive measures are unlikely to deter the farmers from continuing their struggle for the repeal of the laws that threaten their livelihood. The farm laws were bulldozed through Parliament without consulting the primary stakeholders — the farmers. The prime minister should go beyond his offer to suspend the laws and repeal them to do justice to the slogan, “Jai Kisan”, if his government is to be known as ‘pro-farmer’.
G. David Milton,
Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu
Sir — The lathi-charge by the Haryana police on agitating farmers is heart-breaking. The duty magistrate clearly misused his power and provoked the police with his orders. His command was inhuman and should be condemned, irrespective of political affiliations. The Haryana government should initiate an impartial inquiry into the incident and take stern action against the guilty.
A.K. Mukhopadhyay,
Hooghly
Sir — After the lathi-charge on the agitating farmers, the deputy chief minister of Haryana, Dushyant Chautala, said that the SDO of Karnal could face action. This is too little too late. Chautala, now part of the ruling party, has forgotten his responsibilities towards the farming community. The farmers are aware of this, and are unlikely to fall for the pretence of care. Both the state government and the Centre will have to pay heavily for passing the farm bills without the farmers’ consent and then refusing to take them back in the face of stiff opposition. The arrogant dispensation will be overthrown. The governor of Meghalaya, Satya Pal Malik, could be a major help — he has demanded that the Haryana chief minister apologize to the farmers.
Jang Bahadur Singh,
Jamshedpur
Sir — The brutality perpetrated on farmers by the Haryana police needs an independent, court-monitored inquiry as the police and the government are clearly hand in glove. Photographs suggest that the police did, in fact, break the heads of the farmers following the SDO’s orders. However, the BJP leader, Varun Gandhi, has raised questions about the authenticity of the video that shows the SDO making the remarks under the guise of expressing his anguish.
K. Nehru Patnaik,
Visakhapatnam
Game over
Sir — After its crackdown on foreign cartoons on prime-time television and certain karaoke songs, China has come up with a new restriction — minors will henceforth be prohibited from playing video games for more than three hours each week. This is ridiculous. While addiction to gaming is harmful, especially for children, surely there are better ways to discourage them. They could instead be inspired to take up interesting hobbies — collecting stamps, painting, learning a musical instrument. Children already have enough rules to follow; such orders will only weigh them down further.
Pranay Ghatak,
Calcutta
