Kisan Andolan: Police disperses group of farmers trying to protest against Haryana CM

In the midst of the raging pandemic, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar inaugurated a 500-bed COVID hospital here on Sunday, saying his government is committed to expanding healthcare facilities in the state. Police used force and tear gas shells to scatter a group of farmers who attempted to march towards the location where Khattar was to inaugurate the hospital.

With the opening of the Chaudhary Devi Lal Sanjivani COVID hospital, not only the coronavirus patients of Hisar district, but also those from neighbouring districts, would be able to get the required care, according to Khattar. According to an official release, Khattar visited Hisar on April 26 and described the Jindal Modern School campus adjacent to the Jindal Stainless Limited unit, and after completing all required procedures, the hospital was built in a record 17 days.

"In this tough moment of COVID-19 pandemic, this hospital is unquestionably a blessing for COVID-19 patients, as it has enough beds and oxygen," the statement added. "Jindal Stainless Limited will provide the hospital with approximately eight metric tonnes of oxygen, which will be delivered at a rate of 71 litres per minute per bed.

Patients who come to this hospital for care will not be charged. According to Khattar, the Haryana government is constantly working to improve people's healthcare facilities by making the appropriate arrangements for the prevention of COVID-19 in the state.

He said that the state's government and private hospitals have made 12,375 beds available. He added that the figure has now risen to 13,500. The COVID-19 pandemic, according to the chief minister, came as a shock to everyone. "We must battle this pandemic as a nation by remaining united, optimistic, and collaborating with frontline staff," he said.

The opposition is unfairly blaming the government on the COVID-19 issue, according to the chief minister, which is "certainly not an ethical thing to do in this hour of crisis." "Rather than making accusations against the government, the opposition should make details about what the government has done accessible to the public," he said, according to the statement.

According to Khattar, the opposition should make recommendations to the government on how to combat the pandemic. "This is not the time to level charges against the government." The chief minister also urged the protesting farmers to join the government in the fight against the deadly virus.  

"Because this is humanity's greatest crisis, we must all struggle together. This pandemic affects everyone, regardless of who they are, where they live, or what class they belong to. This is a fight for the entire world "Added he. Farmers allegedly jumped police barricades, forcing officers to use force and tear gas shelling to disperse them.

According to the farmers, a number of them were wounded as a result of police action. Farmers pelted stones at the police, according to a police spokesman, and several officers were wounded and taken to the hospital. According to police, some agitators, including women, were detained as they marched towards the location, attempting to disrupt the chief minister's case.

Farmers have been protesting the Centre's latest farm laws and have been disrupting BJP-JJP leaders' public appearances in the state as a result. After inaugurating the hospital, the chief minister left as farmers began to gather in large numbers and march towards the site. Farmers squatted and blocked several roads in the district to protest the police action.

Over 150 farmers have been detained, according to Haryana BKU chief Gurnam Singh, who has demanded their immediate release. From May 15, 1,000 teams have been dispatched to perform door-to-door COVID-19 testing in villages, according to Khattar. The state government has also limited the prices of private hospitals and ambulances, he said, and those who break the rules will face stiff penalties.

Farmers will benefit from the new farm laws, according to the Centre, because they will free them from the clutches of middlemen and usher in new technology in the field. Farmers, on the other hand, claim that these laws would erase the minimum support price (MSP) safety net, leaving them at the mercy of big corporations.