On way to Delhi to seek 'permission for mass suicide', farmers held at Manesar
Gurugram, October 6
Over a hundred farmers were detained on their way to Delhi to seek permission for mass suicide in Manesar today. They have long been protesting against the acquisition of 1,810 acres of land in Kasan, Sehrawan and Kukdola villages by the state government, and asking for minimum compensation.
| The land is our sole source of income and they are buying it for peanuts. They want to us kill ourselves so that things become easier for them. We have had multiple meetings with the Chief Minister in this regard, but the government did not make any favourable offer to the land owners. — Satdev Kaushik, sarpanch, Kasan village |
They indulged in a minor scuffle with the police, following which, the farmers, including women, were detained and taken to the police station.
Manveer Singh, DCP (Manesar) said, “They have no permission for any march to Delhi therefore, we cannot allow this huge a crowd to enter. We tried reasoning with them but they did not listen. So, we had no option but to detain them. They have all been released and have returned to the dharna site.”
The farmers are against the acquisition of the land at the rate of Rs 91 lakh per acre as the market rate of the land is around Rs 10 crore per acre. It is sheer “injustice” against the farmers, he added.
The process to acquire this land began in 2011 but the matter got tied up in a litigation soon after. In 2020, the Punjab and Haryana High Court vacated the stay on the acquisition, and the process resumed. On August 16, 2022, the district administration fixed rates between Rs 70 and 91 lakh per acre for the land.
