New Delhi: Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) has condemned the crackdown on farmers’ protests near the bordering states of Delhi and called on the government to safeguard their right to protest peacefully.

In a statement to the media, JIH Vice President Prof. Salim Engineer said: “The government should address concerns of the 200 farmers unions from Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh and safeguard their right to protest peacefully. The use of barbed wire, police barricades, and teargassing through drones on farmers in Haryana is highly condemnable and a violation of their right to peaceful assembly. The arbitrary arrest and detention of peaceful protestors must not be allowed. This high-handed approach by the government will further alienate the farmer community and give credence to the impression that the government does not care about the welfare of the farmers and is not willing to negotiate or discuss their grievances.”

The JIH Vice President said, “The government bestowed Bharat Ratna on Dr Swaminathan but even after 17 years, Dr Swaminathan’s National Commission on Farmers (NCF) Report’s recommendations on MSP are yet to be implemented. The farmers are asking for a legal guarantee on the Minimum Support Price (MSP). Even if the government does not agree with this demand, it has no right to resort to repressive measures to silence the voice of dissent of farmers. It will worsen the situation and weaken our democracy. Jamaat-e-Islami Hind feels that the government must talk to the leaders of the farmers and listen to their demands. It must take the farmers into confidence before any new policy on farming is formulated. The protesters also need to be vigilant against those who may conspire to make these protests violent.”