Farmer leaders end gherao in H'yana after 2 arrested farmers released

Chandigarh: Farmers leaders decided to end the gherao at Tohana Sadar police station in Fatehabad district of Haryana after two farmers arrested after a spat with an MLA on June 1, were released today. While one more farmer is still in jail, talks are underway for his release today.

"We have decided to no longer gherao Tohana PS. One more person still in jail, meeting underway with police administration to release him," said Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait, who has been protesting at the site since Saturday night.

The BKU leader demanded the cops to release the farmers after Jananayak Janata Party (JJP) MLA Devender Singh Babli said he would withdraw the case filed against them.

“He has also apologised. So why is the police not releasing them now? We have asked them to either release those arrested or arrest us too,” Tikait said earlier.

An FIR was registered against a group of farmers for allegedly trying to gherao Babli's residence on Wednesday night. Two farmers, Vikas Sisar and Ravi Azad, were arrested in connection with the incident. They were booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Disaster Management Act, 2005.

Speaking on the matter of their release Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij had said, "It is up to the courts to release them. How can we do that? They can file their application before the court which will then decide on their plea."

Meanwhile, Tikait has said that farmers will continue the agitation against the Centre's farm laws till the government repeals them and enacts a law on minimum support price. He alleged the Centre wants to shift the central point of the farmers' agitation from Delhi's borders to Haryana's Rohtak-Jind belt, calling it a "ploy" they will allow to succeed.