Summary:
Leaders of the action committee claimed that the farmers were granted bail, as the magistrate was convinced of their stand. more-inUpland farmers owing allegiance to the United Democratic Front (UDF) observed a hartal in Chakkittappara panchayat on Monday, protesting against the arrest of 14 farmers on the charge of damaging a Forest Department vehicle. Hunger strike droppedThough the farmers’ action committee had a plan to stage a hunger strike in front of the district collectorate on Monday, it was dropped as all the arrested were granted bail. They just tried to block a vehicle that was about to ram the venue of a farmers’ hunger strike,” said Jijo Thomas, leader of We Farm, a settler farmers’ collective. They alleged that some Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] workers in the panchayat were trying to fuel the stand-off between farmers and the department to take political advantage and portray farmers as hunters..