On June 7, protesting wrestler Sakshi Malik and Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh shared old photos on social media claiming that these are photos of farmers injured during the agitation demanding MSP for sunflower procurement. In the tweet, Malik wrote, “Farmers only demanded MSP. The cruel administration gave them batons and arrests. We condemn the arrest of Kisan leader Gurnam Singh Chaduni. He should be released at the earliest. The reports of martyr farmers during agitation have brought tears to our eyes.”
AAP leader Sanjay Singh wrote, “These are ‘Annadata’ of India. Their crime was they demanded the right price for their crops. Khattar government said, ‘If you demand a [right] price for the crops, we will kill you’.”
Many others shared these images of retweeted tweets claiming that these are farmers assaulted by police during the protest demanding higher MSP. However, all of them are spreading fake news, as the images they shared are several years old, and not related to the recent protest by farmers.
First, let’s discuss the images attached by Sakshi Malik and Sanjay Singh. The first image in which a Sikh man can be seen bareback with baton barks is from 2019. Twitter user Fabulous Guy shared a screenshot of an old tweet that contained the said photograph.
Upon research, OpIndia found that the particular photograph was from 2019. A Sikh driver got into an altercation with Delhi Police leading to injuries. As per reports of the incident, an argument broke out between the Sikh tempo driver of Gramin Sewa and the Delhi police personnel.
The Sikh man allegedly charged at the policemen with a sword in his hand. As a result, the Delhi Police personnel retaliated and thrashed him using batons. In the aftermath, the police personnel involved in the incident were suspended. The driver, identified as Sarabjeet Singh, was involved in similar altercations before, but he was let go with a warning.
The second image of a man with a head injury was from 2021. We found a tweet by journalist Mandeep Punia who shared the photograph with the details.
Now coming to the claim that farmer(s) died during the recent altercation between protesting farmers and Haryana Police. There are no reports of any protesting farmer dying during the recent incident. It is unclear where Malik picked the information.
Police cleared NH-44 on court orders
On June 7, Haryana Police used force to clear National Highway 44 (NH-44) at Shahabad in Kurukshetra of protesting farmers following orders from Punjab and Haryana High Court. Under the banner of Bhartiya Kisan Union (Charuni), the farmers had blocked the national highway demanding procurement of sunflowers at minimum support price (MSP).
The court directed the Haryana Government’s officials to ensure that NH-44 be kept open for “free flow and movement of the traffic, without any hindrance, so that the public is not inconvenienced”.
Calling the NH-44 lifeline of the country that connects the length and breadth of India, the court made it clear that the administration should exercise utmost restraint and use force to disperse the mob only as a last resort, which the police did.