Tension spread to parts of Haryana's Jind district on Saturday after a confrontation between police and protesters in Hansi during Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini's Independence Day programme, prompting farmers and khap representatives to block roads in protest against the police action. The agitation is linked to the killing of Hisar dairy operator Jeevan Kundu earlier this month, over which farmer organisations and khap panchayats have been demanding the arrest of all those allegedly involved.
Protesters had announced that they would demonstrate during the Chief Minister's Independence Day programme in Hansi after an earlier deadline given to the administration for arrests expired. Farmers and khap leaders had held a mahapanchayat at the Hisar mini-secretariat earlier this week and given police until August 13 to arrest all the accused. They had warned that the agitation would be intensified if their demands were not met.
The situation escalated on Saturday when protesters attempted to move towards the venue of Saini's Independence Day programme in Hansi. Police personnel deployed in large numbers stopped the demonstrators from proceeding towards the event. The confrontation subsequently led to a clash between the two sides.
According to reports, police used force to disperse protesters after the situation became tense. The confrontation triggered anger among farmer groups and khap representatives in neighbouring areas, particularly Jind. As information about the incident reached Jind, farmers and khap members gathered at different locations and blocked roads in protest. The protesters condemned the police action and demanded accountability for the alleged use of force against those participating in the agitation.
Farmers and khap representatives began assembling on roads after news of the Hansi confrontation spread, disrupting vehicular movement.
The demonstrations reflected a widening of the agitation beyond Hisar and Hansi, with community organisations mobilising in support of those protesting over the Jeevan Kundu murder case.
The agitation had already intensified ahead of Independence Day. At the mahapanchayat held in Hisar on Wednesday, farmer unions and khap panchayats announced a four-hour blockade of toll plazas across Haryana for August 14 and plans to protest at the Chief Minister's Hansi programme on August 15.
The organisations had said the protests would continue if police failed to arrest all the accused in the murder case.
The case centres on the killing of Jeevan Kundu, a dairy operator from Surya Nagar in Hisar.
According to police, Kundu was allegedly attacked with sticks by a group of around 12 to 15 people on August 4. He later died during treatment.
The killing sparked anger among local residents, farmer organisations and khap panchayats, which accused the authorities of failing to act swiftly against all those involved.
Police had arrested four accused by earlier this week and constituted 10 special teams to trace those who remained absconding. A reward of Rs 50,000 was also announced for information leading to the arrest of one of the main accused.
Lookout circulars were issued against wanted suspects, while police teams carried out searches in Haryana as well as neighbouring states.
Security was also provided to Kundu's family, and the administration initiated the process for providing employment assistance to the family.
The murder has drawn several farmer and khap leaders into the agitation.
Farmer leader Rakesh Tikait had joined the protest at the Hisar mini-secretariat and demanded stringent action against criminals. He called upon Haryana Police to take effective steps against those responsible for Kundu's killing.
Former MLA Balraj Kundu has also been associated with the protests and has alleged that the main accused had links within the police establishment. Uklana MLA Naresh Selwal, meanwhile, accused the ruling BJP of attempting to give the dispute a caste dimension. These are allegations made by the political leaders and have not been established independently.
The protesters have maintained that their primary demand is the arrest of everyone involved in the killing and action against those they allege may have protected the accused.
Saturday's clash in Hansi added a fresh dimension to the agitation. What began as protests demanding arrests in a murder case has now led to confrontations with police and road blockades in Jind, raising concerns about further escalation.
Police and administrative officials were monitoring the situation as farmers and khap representatives continued their protest following the Hansi incident.