Over the weekend, videos of a senior official in the northern Indian state of Haryana went viral. In them, Ayush Sinha, a public service officer in the district of Karnal, is seen telling a group of cops to hit protesters in a rally “hard.”
“Nobody should break the cordon. We have enough force available,” Sinha is heard saying in the video that started circulating immediately afterwards. “If someone does, make sure he has a broken head. Hope that is clear.”
Videos by VICE
Hours later, a group of protesters clashed with the police, with the cops allegedly using force. Photographs from the scene showed protesters in bloodied clothes. One man is seen sitting with blood oozing from his head and splattered on his shirt. One farmer allegedly died due to injuries sustained in the clashes.
The rally was the latest in a series of broader farmers’ protests that erupted in November last year, and which have continued despite the pandemic, challenging weather conditions and frequent police crackdowns.
For over nine months, hundreds of thousands of farmers have been holding demonstrations at the borders of India’s capital New Delhi against new farm laws that allow the sale of public farming enterprises to private buyers. Authorities have accused protesting farmers of being separatists and terrorists.
The Saturday protest was timed with the arrival of Haryana’s Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar—who opposes the farmers’ protests—in Karnal.
A farmers’ group called Samyukta Kisa Morcha (SKM) said during a meeting on Sunday that at least 10 farmers were seriously injured and hundreds were detained following the rally.
The violence apparently motivated by Sinha’s orders has drawn sharp criticism from several ministers, including some from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. As demands for Sinha’s dismissal rose, the incident also sparked outrage from other political leaders.
Amarinder Singh, the chief minister of Punjab—where the majority of the protesting farmers were from—called it “brute force in a desperate bid to end farmers’ stir against the draconian farm laws.”
Prominent opposition leaders shared images of the bloodied protesters.
VICE World News was unable to reach Sinha for comment. He is an officer with the Indian government’s Civil Services, a prestigious post that allows its officers to carry out government policies with state manpower.
In an interview with the news agency ANI, Sinha said his orders to his ranks were to “use force proportionately.” He later told The Indian Express that there was a high chance the law enforcement barricade would be breached, which would then have become a “security threat.” He claimed that the viral video is “doctored” and taken out of context.
Several senior police officials spoke in support of Sinha, and called him “one of our finest officers.” The Indian Express quoted unnamed sources in the state government as saying, “The officer did not say anything wrong and was just doing his duty at the time of such pressure.”
Simran Dhindsa, a member of the farmers’ Bharatiya Kisan Union, told VICE World News that the farmers had planned a “peaceful march” with black-coloured flags, and that the violence was sudden and unwarranted.
“We were 15 kilometres (nine miles) away from the meeting venue, and it was a silent march towards Karnal city,” he said. “But for no reason, the police charged at us with lathis (batons) and hit us. They broke one of our men’s noses. Another one can’t see from one eye anymore. One got hit in the head and had to get stitches. Hands and legs were also broken.”
One farmer, Dhindsa added, died as a result of the violence. “When his family washed his body after his death, they found that his stomach was swollen from being hit there,” he said. Protesters are now alleging that the cops didn’t allow the victim’s body to be taken to a nearby hospital, and that those who wanted to get admitted for treatment were prevented by the cops.
The Karnal police superintendent Ganga Ram Punia told VICE World News that no death was reported in connection with the clashes. “The deceased [that the protesters are talking about] didn’t go to any hospital, nor did his family come to the police station to report his death,” he said, adding that there is also no post-mortem report of the farmer.
“From what we have heard, he had a heart attack while he was at home,” said Punia. “His death is not related to the protest.”
Dhindsa insisted that Sinha’s speech is a key factor behind the violence. “No government official has the right to give orders to crack the skulls of its citizens,” he said. “The cops did the baton charge four times.”
Leaders from around India and beyond have continued to express criticism on social media. Farmers’ organisations are currently demanding compensation for the victim who died after the protest as well as for those who were injured. One farmer leader compared their government with the Taliban.
Dhindsa said that the incident has only made the farmers’ resolve stronger. “We will continue to protest,” he said.
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