Haryana: Police use water cannon to disperse protesting farmers in Sirsa

Police used a water cannon on Wednesday to disperse a group of farmers, who allegedly tried to go past barricades when local MLA Gopal Kanda arrived to cast his vote for the municipal council chairman's post in this Haryana district.

The farmers, protesting against the Centre's new farm laws, gathered near the spot where the police had put up barricades and raised slogans against Kanda, the president of the Haryana Lokhit Party.

Kanda had voted against a no-confidence motion brought against the Manohar Lal Khattar government in the state Assembly by the main opposition Congress last month.

Farmer leaders had earlier said they would continue with their "peaceful social boycott" of the leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies.

Sirsa Deputy Superintendent of Police Aryan Chaudhary said the protesters attempted to go past the barricades when the police tried to stop them.

Protesting farmers blocked BJP MP Nayab Singh Saini's car in Kurukshetra district's Shahabad on Tuesday, smashing its windscreen as he was about to leave a party worker's home, the police had said.

Farmers had held a protest against the chief minister in Rohtak on Saturday, resulting in a lathicharge by the police and forcing authorities to shift the landing site for Khattar's helicopter.

Farmers had also held a protest against Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala outside the Hisar airport last week.

These incidents are the latest in a series of protests by farmers against the ruling BJP-JJP coalition leaders in Haryana.

Meanwhile, Haryana Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Gurnam Singh Chaduni said the farmers will continue with their social boycott of the leaders of the BJP and its allies.

He, however, appealed to the farmers to ensure that the protests are peaceful.

Chaduni claimed that leaders of the BJP and its allies have stepped up their public visits in recent days, despite knowing that they will face a boycott.

He alleged that if there is violence, lathicharge and any disturbance of law and order, "such a scenario suits the government" and it will then try to use force to evict the farmers protesting against the contentious laws at Delhi's borders.