As per the announcement made on August 30 by the farmers’ organizations of Haryana, a Kisan Mahapanchayat is organized in Karnal grain market. The mahapanchayat is called to demand action against the officials responsible for August 28 lathi-charge on farmers at Bastada toll plaza on the outskirts of Karnal, and compensation for the injured and a farmer who died after being seriously injured in the lathicharge. District administration suspend internet and SMS services in Karnal and four neighbouring districts and impose section 144 of the CRPC in the city on September 6. The administration announces that farmers will not be allowed to enter the city, heavy barricades are placed on the entry routes with massive deployment of RAF and CRPF. On the day of the mahapanchayat the administration allows farmers to reach the mahapanchayat venue given that thousands of farmers were headed towards the city. District administration calls for a meeting with the farmers’ delegation. A 15-member delegation conducts three rounds of talks for four hours with the city administration which fails to resolve the stalemate. Post this the leadership announces a march to District Mini Secretariat to gherao it. The march is led by the SKM leaders who were briefly detained by the police but then released shortly. Farmers march towards the Mini Secretariat despite the heavy barricading and police using water cannons. Farmers enter the Mini Secretariat premise and sat on dharna putting a siege of the secretariat, a tried and tested strategy from the earlier incidents. This time there is a lot more at stake from the government’s side in comparison to earlier incidents as farmers are demanding action against one of the officials who was perhaps following the orders from the top. Giving in to farmers’ demands this time would mean a big jolt to the government and a boost to the farmers’ movement.
