ALL INDIA KISAN SABHA (AIKS) DENOUNCES BRUTAL POLICE LATHI-CHARGE BY BJP REGIME ON 2000 FARMERS LED BY AIKS IN SOLAPUR!
AIKS CONDEMNS STATE GOVT FOR FORCED LAND ACQUISITION WITHOUT COMPENSATION FOR RATNAGIRI-NAGPUR HIGHWAY!
Over 2000 farmers from Sangli and Solapur districts of Maharashtra under AIKS leadership, who were conducting a peaceful agitation and were requesting a meeting with the State Cooperation Minister of the BJP, Shri Subhash Deshmukh, were brutally lathi-charged today by the police of the BJP regime at three squares in Solapur city. Several farmers were badly injured and they include AIKS state general general secretary Dr Ajit Nawale and other main AIKS activists Dr Sudarshan Gherade and Vijay Pawar.
The state government is constructing a new Ratnagiri-Nagpur highway, for which it has forcibly acquired land from several farmers in Sangli and Solapur districts without giving them any compensation whatsoever. Worse still, the government has already started work on the highway.
To strongly protest against this, thousands of farmers from both districts began a rally from Sangli on October 4 and they travelled 180 Km, taking several meetings in the affected villages on the way. They entered Solapur today. This struggle by the AIKS has been continuing for the last six months.
Three days ago the AIKS had sent their memorandum to the above Minister and had requested an appointment with him today. The District Collector had also been approached with the same request. However, Shri Subhash Deshmukh not only fled away, but on the other hand let loose the police on the peacefully agitating farmers. The brutal lathi-charge today was the result.
Overcoming even this repression, the farmers reached the house of the Minister and have laid siege there. They have refused to move until the state government gives in writing a date for full discussion on this issue at Mantralaya in Mumbai.
The struggle is being led by AIKS state general secretary Dr Ajit Nawale, state treasurer Umesh Deshmukh, CITU state general secretary M H Shaikh, AIKS state vice president Sidhappa Kalshetty, state joint secretary Manik Avaghade and AIKS state council members Digambar Kamble, Dr Sudarshan Gherade, and also Namdevrao Kargane, Anil Wasan and others.
The AIKS denounces the brutal lathi-charge on farmers by the police and it also strongly condemns the conspiracy by the state government of forcibly acquiring land of the farmers without paying any compensation whatsoever. The AIKS demands that the state government immediately give a date for detailed talks with the farmers led by the AIKS. If this is not done, the struggle will be intensified and the government will be solely responsible for the consequences.
Dr Ashok Dhawale
President
Hannan Mollah
General Secretary
All India Kisan Sabha
