The leaders of farmer bodies and khap panchayats in Haryana announced on Wednesday that they won’t allow anyone to touch members of the Muslim community days after violence hit the Nuh district.
To announce their determination to counter the communal violence in the state, these leaders gathered in Hisar’s Baas village.
The farmer panchayat was the first such event at this scale in Haryana after the recent violence which was attended by nearly 2,000 farmers from Hindu, Muslim, and Sikh communities. The event has significance in the backdrop of threats to the members of the Muslim community and alleged resolution by a few village panchayats against the entry of minority community members in their villages.
Suresh Koth’s statement in Hisar Panchayat
The farmer leader Suresh Koth, referring to the threats to the Muslim community members, said: “Ye khade Mussalman, tok ke dikha do. Saari khapen jimmewar hain (The Muslims are here. No one can touch them. All the khaps are responsible).” Koth, also a khap leader from Hisar district, played an important role during the farmers’ protest against the three farm laws. He added that reports regarding entry ban for Muslims in a few villages are false.
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The farmers also took the pledge that they won’t participate in any type of caste or communal violence apart from making efforts to restore peace in Nuh in Wednesday’s panchayat. The panchayat also demanded action against those who were responsible for provoking people by uploading videos on social media.
According to Koth, earlier, they had planned a convention in Baas village on August 9 to discuss the issues concerning farming. But, the farmer leader says, “The Nuh violence issue has taken a central stage and it needs to be tackled first”. Notably, the venue of Wednesday’s event, Baas village is surrounded by those districts where the farmers had actively participated in the farmer agitation and fought against three farm laws in 2020-21 which were repealed later.
The farmer leaders are taking the lead to ensure communal harmony keeping in view the support they received across the communities during their agitation against three farm laws. At Khatkar Kalan toll plaza in Jind district, during the agitation, the farmers celebrated festivals of all religions. On the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr, the farmers even offered namaz at the Khatkar Kalan protest site in 2021.
Farmers from Mewat had participated in the “pakka morchas” the farmers set up at the borders of the national capital during their stir.
The farmer leaders believe that their nearly 13-month-long agitation had strengthened the bonding among the people of different communities.
To continue that spirit, the farmer leaders have now planned a series of events to maintain communal harmony in Haryana. In a series of such events, several organizations Monday undertook a process in Jind town while raising slogans of “Hindu-Muslim-Sikh, Issai ”.
On Saturday too, local farmer leaders had called for a Sarv Dharam Sammelan in Jind’s Uchana town and passed a resolution to work for the unity of “Hindu-Muslim-Sikh-Issai”.
Representatives from Hindu, Muslim, and Sikh communities participated in the gathering. Such a Sarv Dharam Sammelan was organized at Khatkar Kalan toll plaza during a farmer stir too, in February 2021.
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