In a significant move, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin intervened on Friday to overturn the controversial order by the Tiruvannamalai district collector, which had led to the booking of six farmers under the Goondas Act. The farmers were protesting against the acquisition of their land for a project in Melma village, Cheyyar.
This decision comes in the wake of strong criticism from opposition leaders and activists who condemned the government’s actions in invoking the Goondas Act against seven farmers earlier in the week for participating in the protests.
The farmers, persistent in their resistance for over 100 days, have been expressing their discontent with the State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu Ltd (SIPCOT) project. The project involves the acquisition of more than 3,000 acres of crucial agricultural wetlands.
Earlier on November 4, around 20 farmers were arrested by the police in connection with the ongoing protests. The arrests were based on multiple FIRs filed in August against the farmers who actively participated in the demonstrations.
The FIRs revealed a slew of charges against the farmers, including Sections 147 (rioting), 341 (wrongful restraining), 294 (b) (obscene acts and songs), 506 (1) (criminal intimidation), 283 (danger or obstruction in a public way or line of navigation), 290 (public nuisance), 109 (punishment for abetment), 143 (unlawful assembly), and 353 (assault or use of criminal force obstructing a public servant from discharging duty) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Additionally, they were charged under Section 3 of the Tamil Nadu Public Property Act, 1992.
