Chandigarh/Karnal: With the second round of talks between the administration and protesting farmers failing to end the impasse on Wednesday, unions have announced that they are ready for a long haul and will continue to gherao the mini-Secretariat till their demands are met.
The standoff between the two sides spilled onto the second day as farmers spent the night outside the mini-Secretariat.
Locked in a showdown with the Haryana government over the lathi-charge, the farmers squatted at the gates of the mini-Secretariat on Tuesday evening after talks with the local administration failed. Many spent the night outside the mini-Secretariat.
Meanwhile, hopeful of an early resolution to the long-running farmers' protests on the national Capital borders, a key member of the Supreme Court-appointed panel on contentious agri-laws on Wednesday said the report submitted by the committee is "cent per cent" in favour of farmers and the Apex Court must take up the matter without any delay.
The panel member acknowledged that the government and the Supreme Court have to consider the law and order issue that may arise with the release of the report for which they needed to take time, but "they just cannot dump it and they should not dump it".
The protesters, on the other hand, have been demanding action over the police lathi-charge here on August 28. Their main demand centres around Ayush Sinha, former Karnal SDM. He was later transferred out as part of a larger bureaucratic shuffle.
The officer, whose suspension farmers' union leaders are demanding, was caught on tape allegedly telling policemen to "break heads" if the protesters crossed the line.
About 10 protesters were hurt in the clash with police as they tried to march towards the venue of a BJP meeting. Their leaders also claimed that a farmer died later, an allegation rejected by the administration.
A number of farmers along with many leaders of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) spent the night outside the main entrance of the mini-Secretariat. On Wednesday morning, volunteers at the protest site were seen preparing tea and serving breakfast.
Karnal Deputy Commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav also said talks have failed to find any solution to the deadlock, but he added that the negotiations will continue to end the stalemate. He said that the district administration wants a solution to the issue and will continue to engage with the farmers in a dialogue.
Yadav clarified that there was no provision of taking action against an officer before an inquiry, but the farmers were adamant on action against Sinha.
The DC further added that the farmer leaders have assured the authorities that they would ensure that their agitation remained peaceful.
"We are not going anywhere from here until our demands are met," Haryana Bharatiya Kisan Union chief Gurnam Singh Charuni told Millennium Post over the phone on Wednesday.
Asked why farmers were adamant about the suspension when he has already been shifted from Karnal, Charuni said transfer is not a punishment.
"If farmers are being booked for road blockade, why not take action against the officer who directed the cops to break heads. Isn't what Sinha said is unlawful?" Charuni asked.
Meanwhile, traffic movement on the Delhi-Karnal-Ambala NH-44 remained normal. Security had been beefed up here on Monday, a day before the farmers' mahapanchayat, with central forces being deployed.
The Home Department has extended the suspension of Internet services in Karnal until Wednesday midnight as the situation is "still volatile". Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) banning the gathering of people have been imposed in the district.
The SKM claimed that in solidarity with the agitation in Karnal, farmers across Haryana and throughout India have come out in support.
UP farmers, under the leadership of Rakesh Tikait, have extended their support and declared that they would join the farmers in Karnal if the government refuses to accept their demands.