Key Points

According to an official release from the Aam Aadmi Party, AAP Gujarat Prabhari Gopal Rai stated that on Sunday, farmers gathered at the Botad Mandi to demand fair prices for their crops but were denied permission by the police. According to Rai, when farmers shifted their assembly to Hadad village, the police, acting on the BJP's directions, lathi-charged them, arrested over 250 people, and even stormed into homes, misbehaving with women and treating villagers like enemies.

The AAP Gujarat Prabhari said that in protest against this crackdown, AAP and farmers across Gujarat observed a Black Day on Monday. He warned that if the BJP government fails to grant farmers dignity, justice, and fair crop prices, AAP will launch a statewide movement.

Addressing a press conference at the AAP headquarters on Monday, senior AAP leader and Gujarat Prabhari Gopal Rai claimed that the BJP government in Gujarat did lathi charge, fired tear gas shells, and carried out mass arrests through the night.

"It appears as if the BJP government has become the enemy of farmers. The way farmers in Hadad village, Botad Assembly, Bhavnagar district, were attacked is reminiscent of an assault on an enemy. The village was surrounded from all sides, and repression was unleashed even as farmers were holding a peaceful Mahapanchayat. This cycle of suppression continues," alleged Gopal Rai.

Explaining the incident, the AAP Gujarat Prabhari said, "This issue began at the Botad marketing yard. The cotton and groundnut crops in Gujarat are ready for sale. When farmers bring their produce to the markets, the BJP government and BJP-appointed chairmen have imposed an exploitative system called Karda Pratha. Under this system, only a portion of the crop is purchased at a fixed price, while the rest is declared substandard, and farmers are forced either to sell it at a much lower price or take it back home. To protest this injustice, the farmers had peacefully raised their voice at the Botad Mandi on October 10."

He added, "Under the leadership of AAP farmer leader Rajubhai Karpada, the farmers and local leaders presented their grievances before the Mandi Committee and its Chairman. However, the BJP-backed committee refused to listen. Instead, the committee conspired to suppress the protest by posting a notice in the evening declaring the market closed indefinitely. Farmers stayed overnight, but the BJP government refused to engage with them. Around 4 AM, the police surrounded Rajubhai Karpada and other farmer leaders, arresting them. They were taken around all day while the Mandi was locked down, pressuring farmers to leave."

According to AAP, Gopal Rai stated that the farmers had declared they would continue their movement until their demands were met. "A 'kisan panchayat' was called at Botad Mandi on Sunday, but the BJP government converted the area into a police camp, deploying personnel at every corner. Dozens of farmer leaders, including AAP Gujarat President Isudan Gadhvi and Youth Wing President Brijraj Solanki, were arrested on the way. When permission for the panchayat was denied, farmers peacefully gathered in Hadad village, about 3-4 km from Botad, to continue their meeting."

He alleged that the BJP government then ordered the police to surround Hadad village from all sides and claimed that such cruelty was not witnessed even in British times.

"Some policemen were sent secretly into the assembly. As the peaceful meeting continued, the police first began pelting stones and then launched a lathi charge, followed by tear gas. The scenes that unfolded were so painful that perhaps even during British rule such cruelty wasn't witnessed. Every door in Hadad village was broken down. Police forcibly entered homes without permission, where mothers and daughters were present. Over 250 young men were detained, though the police admit to only 20. Those detained were denied food and water. The rest are missing, and the police refuse to provide any information. The BJP government has blindfolded itself while the farmers are left helpless," said Gopal Rai.

The AAP leader declared that the party will observe Black Day across Gujarat in protest against the BJP government's alleged atrocities against farmers.

"The BJP government has effectively declared the entire village an enemy territory. But this repression cannot silence the farmers' voice. The Aam Aadmi Party has decided to observe a Black Day across Gujarat on Monday in protest against the BJP government's alleged atrocities. Women in Hadad have been humiliated, and this will be resisted across the state. The message of Hadad will reach all of Gujarat's 400 marketing yards, 200 large and 200 small. AAP leaders and farmer representatives will hold public hearings in every yard to listen to farmers' pain," alleged Rai.

- ANI