New Delhi, Mar 3: The farmers, who launched a Delhi Chalo campaign in February in support of a host of demands including the guarantee of Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops, have approached the Supreme Court to ensure removal of all barricades on borders and stopping of violence against them.

The organising body of the protest Farmers Kissan Andolan has filed a Public Interest Petition (PIL) in the Supreme Court that also seeks the unblocking of social media accounts and FIRs against government officials indulging in illegal acts against farmers.

The petitioner, Agnostos Theos, MD of the Sikh Chamber of Commerce on Kisan Andolan, said the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march, led by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM), was started to pressure the government into fulfilling their demands, primarily seeking a law for MSP and a loan waiver for farmers.

The petitioner sought the Supreme Court’s intervention seeking directions to the Centre and State governments of Haryana, Punjab, NCT of Delhi, and Madhya Pradesh to consider the reasonable demands of the protesting farmers.

The deadlock between farmers and the Centre over their various demands remains unsolved, as the farmers rejected the February 18 offer by the Union government.

The petitioner has moved the apex court to pass directions to the National Human Rights Commission to inquire and submit a report on alleged human rights violations by the police against the protesting farmers.

The incident of the death of a young farmer, who reportedly died on February 21, after the Haryana Police allegedly fired at him on the Khanauri border, is most unfortunate, the petitioner said.

Petitioner Agnostos Theos stated that the farmers’ campaign of Delhi Chalo March in February was to demand that the farmers get the guarantee of Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops, among other things. The farmers’ demands are recommended by the National Commission on Farmers (NCF), constituted under the chairmanship of Professor M.S. Swaminathan.

The Swaminathan committee had recommended that MSP should be at least 50% more than the weighted average cost of production, the petition said.

The petition is likely to come up before the Supreme Court on Monday.

UNI