People's Democracy

‘Stop The Repressive Measures’ 

A DELEGATION of CPI(M) MPs and leaders of All India Kisan Sabha, All India Agricultural Workers Union and CITU left to Rajasthan to enquire about the police atrocities on the agitating peasants of Sriganganagar, Hanumangarh and Bikaner on October 19, 2006. 

The delegation consists of Tapan Sen, MP and CITU secretary, Prasanth Chatterjee, CPI(M) MP, Suneet Chopra AIAWU joint secretary and N K Shukla, joint secretary, AIKS. 

They will visit Gharsana and other places of the three districts of the Sriganganagar, Hanumangarh and Bikaner on October 19. The people of the three districts are agitating for release of irrigation water from Indira Gandhi Canal. The agitation started on October 10, 2006 with road block in all the three districts. Police attacked the agitating peasants by lathicharging them in many places. Curfew was also imposed in many towns and villages. 

In order to suppress the agitation, the BJP-led Vasundhara Raje government has called in army and imposed curfew. But the agitation is continuing. The situation is still tense at the time of filing this report. The government has taken no steps to implement the agreement reached by the government with the farmers in December 2004 regarding supply of water for irrigation.

The CPI(M), AIKS, AIAWU, CITU and Kisan Mazdoor-Vyapari Sangharsh Samiti has asked the government to concede the demands of the agitating farmers immediately. (INN)