Tags: India | Farmer Protests

Indian Town on Edge after 8 Die During Farm Protest

Monday, 04 October 2021 05:00 AM EDT

LUCKNOW, India (AP) — Indian authorities suspended internet services and barred political leaders from entering a northern town Monday to calm tensions after eight people were killed in a deadly escalation of a yearlong demonstration against contentious agriculture laws.

Four farmers died Sunday when a car owned by Junior Home Minister Ajay Mishra ran over protesting farmers in the Uttar Pradesh town of Lakhimpur Kheri, officials and farm leaders said.

Mishra said his driver and three members of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party who were in the car were all killed by the protesters in the violence that broke out after the incident.

“They were beaten to death by the farmers,” Mishra said in a statement.

Farm leaders alleged that Mishra’s son was in the car when it ran over the protesters, but Mishra denied it.

Police on Monday registered a criminal complaint against 14 people, including the minister’s son, in connection with the death of the four farmers. The BJP also lodged a criminal complaint against the protesting farmers over the death of its members and the car driver, said Arvind Chaurasia, a senior official in charge of the district.

Farm leaders are demanding a judicial investigation and compensation for the families of the deceased farmers. They also want action against the minister and his son, saying Mishra should be removed from office.

The violence marked an escalation in ongoing protests against agriculture laws that farmers say will shatter their livelihoods. The protests have lasted since the government passed the laws last September and have been one of the biggest challenges to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Last week, thousands of farmers gathered at the edges of the capital New Delhi to mark one year of demonstrations. The government says the changes in the laws were needed to modernize agriculture and boost production through private investment. But the farmers say the laws will devastate their earnings by ending guaranteed pricing and will force them to sell their crops to corporations at cheaper prices.

Police officer Arun Kumar Singh told The Associated Press that all schools have been shut in the district and people have been advised to stay indoors following the violence in Lakhimpur Kheri, 200 kilometers (124 miles) southeast of Uttar Pradesh's capital, Lucknow.

Authorities also barred leaders from various opposition parties from entering the district to meet the farmers amid concerns it could cause further disorder. Rakesh Tikait, a senior farmer leader, said the bodies will not be cremated until the government accepts their demands.

The ongoing farmer protests against the laws have been largely peaceful, though clashes in January left one protester dead and hundreds injured after demonstrators broke through police barricades to storm a historic fort in Delhi.

Thousands of farmers have camped for nearly a year on the outskirts of New Delhi, and more than a dozen rounds of talks between the government and the farmers have failed to resolve the issues.

© Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


GlobalTalk
Indian authorities suspended internet services and barred political leaders from entering a northern town Monday to calm tensions after eight people were killed in a deadly escalation of a yearlong demonstration against contentious agriculture laws.Four farmers died Sunday...
India,Farmer Protests
486
2021-00-04
Monday, 04 October 2021 05:00 AM
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