The Hindu : Other States / Rajasthan News : Protests against Tonk firing on farmers continue

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Friday, Jun 17, 2005

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Protests against Tonk firing on farmers continue

Special Correspondent

Rajasthan Congress chief B.D. Kalla, others arrested on the way to Raj Bhawan

JAIPUR: Protests continued in various parts of Rajasthan over the death of five persons in police firing in Tonk district on Monday last even as the affected villages, Sohla and Jhirana, remained peaceful on Thursday.

Pradesh Congress Committee president B.D.Kalla was arrested by the police outside the Civil Lines entry point here when he tried to lead a group of party workers to Raj Bhawan to submit a memorandum to Governor Pratibha Patil on the firing on farmers. He was taken to the Bani Park police station and was released later.

In the divisional town of Kota in South Rajasthan, protesting Congress workers, led by former Minister Shanti Dhariwal, allegedly damaged the official car of a visiting Minister Kanakmal Katara. Five persons have been arrested in this connection. However, the Congress party has denied any role of its workers in damaging the Minister's car.

The one-day "Mahapadav''(siege) carried out by the Kisan Mazdoor Vyapari Sangarsh Samiti, which had led the last year's farmers movement for water in Gharsana and Rawala areas of Sriganganagar, attracted a huge crowd at Kajuwala town of Bikaner district. The meeting decried the "anti-farmer'' stand of the State Government and decided to hold the next "padav'' at Anupgarh on July 1.

The Kajuwala meeting marked the break of the truce made through an agreement on December 11, 2004 between agitating farmers of Indira Gandhi Canal Phase I and the State Government. It was addressed by All India Kisan Sabha State president Sheopath Singh, Communist Party of India MLA Amra Ram, former MLA Hetram Beniwal and other farmers leaders, Sant Lekha Singh and Ballabh Kochar.

The CPI (M) and the farmers' groups are holding protest programmes against the police firing on Tonk farmers in the districts on Friday. The Congress party's next protest is scheduled for June 21 when the district committees will demonstrate in front of the respective Collectorates and submit a memorandum in the name of the Governor.

The Tonk district administration, a day after the replacement of Collector Subhash Sharma with Hemant Kumar Gora and the Superintendent of Police Janardhan Sharma with Premsingh Chudawat, went about its job cautiously. There are about 700 police personnel still deployed in the disturbed areas of the district.

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Protests against Tonk firing on farmers continue