Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella organisation comprising over 40 farmer unions, announced that they would gather in large numbers for a 'Kisan Mahapanchayat' in Uttar Pradesh, at Muzaffarnagar's GIC Ground on Sunday, 5 September.
As the protest begins its tenth month, the SKM will gather to discuss the three contentious farm laws that have been implemented since November 2020 and other issues faced by farmers. The body claims that farmers from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra will participate in the Mahapanchayat.
Farmers from Jagron, Ludhiana on their way to the Kisan Mahapanchayat.
(Photo: Accessed by The Quint)
Security Beefed up in Muzaffarnagar
Anticipating record numbers, the Uttar Pradesh government has beefed up security in Muzaffarnagar ahead of the Mahapanchayat. Two companies of rapid action force (RAF), as well as eight companies comprising more than 1,000 personnel of the provincial armed constabulary (PAC), have been deployed in the city.
The Indian Express reported that apart from these special security forces, around a thousand more police personnel from the Meerut zone will be deployed. Drones equipped with cameras and CCTVs will also be used to monitor the massive event, the police told them.
DIG Preetinder Singh of Sahranpur range told Hindustan Times on Saturday, 4 September, that five Senior Superintendents of Police (SSPs), seven Assistant Superintendents of Police (ASPs), and 40 police inspectors will be posted on security duty for the Mahapanchayat, which will be videographed.
He inspected the ongoing preparations for the event and spoke to Bharataiya Kisan Union (BKU) leaders to get an estimated footfall for the Mahapanchayat, as per The Indian Express.
Preparations underway for the Kisan Mahapanchayat at GIC Ground, Muzaffarnagar.
Photo: Samyukt Kisan Morcha
'Historic Event in Muzzafarnagar': SKM
In an address, Abhimanyu Kohar, the youngest member of the SKM noted that the "historic event" will have at least 15 to 20 lakh participants. He added that their teams had been visiting 13-14 villages each day over the last 10 days to invite farmers to attend the gathering.
After protesting farmers were lathi-charged in Haryana's Karnal on 28 August, SKM issued a press note on Friday, 3 September, where the leaders noted that SDM Ayush Sinha "was not acting on his own" adding that "his political masters were the ones who ordered the breaking of farmers' heads".
The body has claimed that if no action is taken by 6 September, they will launch a siege of the Mini Secretariat in Karnal.
Despite eleven rounds of talks between the protesting farmers and the central government, both parties are at a deadlock as the government had refused further discussions unless farmer unions drop their demand for repealing the laws.
The farmers, who have been protesting the contentious laws since November 2020, have demanded a complete roll back of the laws and have pushed for the inclusion of laws that guarantee a minimum support price (MSP) for their crops.
(With inputs from Hindustan Times and The Indian Express)
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