Haryana Assembly passes law for 'recovery of public property damage from protestors'

Cracking down further on farm protests, Haryana Assembly on Thursday, passed a law for recovery of damages to public property from protestors. The law will allow recovery of damages to properties caused by persons during disturbances to public property by an assembly, lawful or unlawful, including riots and violent disorder. It also allows the constitution of a claims tribunal to determine the liability, assess the damages caused and to award compensation to the state government. Ex-Haryana CM Bhupinder Hooda has slammed it as 'anti-farmer', vowing to repeal it if voted to power. The BJP-JJP govt, which faces severe backlash over the farm laws, recently survived a floor test ordered by Congress.

Farmer violence in Punjab & Haryana

Recently, farmers protesting against the farm laws, damaged over 1500 telecom towers belonging to Mukesh Ambani's Jio in Punjab. While Punjab CM Capt Amarinder Singh has appealed farmers to not do so, filing cases against several, Jio has moved Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking actions against the vandalism. Reliance has issued a statement that it has 'nothing to do with the three farm laws', while Adani states that it neither buys food grains from farmers nor decides the pricing of food grains, adding that it only develops and operates grain silos for the FCI.

Moreover, Khattar was forced to cancel his Kisan Mahapanchayat programme in Karnal after farmers vandalised the venue - uprooting tents, breaking the stage, tearing down posters and flinging chairs. The farmers also attempted to enter the helipad where Khattar was to land but were stopped by 1500 police officers who resorted to lathi-charging, using tear gas and water cannon to disperse the farmers. Similarly, despite Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM)'s assurance and Delhi Police's conditions for the Republic Day tractor march, violence broke out on January 26, as the farmers entered Delhi - breaking barricades and cemented barriers, riding bikes brandishing swords, sticks and vandalising a bus, drove tractors at full speed towards the police - leading to clashes with Delhi police. Delhi police have filed over 25 cases, 44 FIRs and arrested 122 people - after a protestor died and 510 police personnel were injured.

UP's ordinance to recover damages

Amid the anti-CAA violence at Aligarh Muslim University when students who were protesting were allegedly attacked by police using tear gas shells, rubber bullets, stun grenades, pellets, and stones, protestors began to vandalise public property and torch buses while pelting stones. Cracking down, CM Yogi Adityanath passed an order to collect damages to public and private property from the vandalisers. He later passed an ordinance, inspite of several pleas in the Supreme court - challenging the validity of the Adityanath government's orders. Aping his move, Karnataka too issued orders to recover damages inflicted to public property from rioters after the Bengaluru riots, invoking a 2009 Supreme Court order.