Dramatic footage of Haryana police beating up farmers for blocking the national highway amid the ongoing protests against the trio of agricultural laws has sparked an uproar social media.
At least ten people were injured in the police crackdown during the rally at Haryana's Karnal highway on Saturday.
Protesting against the farm laws passed by the Narendra Modi government last year, farmers tried to block the highway and stop the convoy of state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief OP Dhankar, who was on his way to attend a state-level meeting chaired by Haryana State Chief Manohar Lal Khattar.
Several videos doing the rounds on the internet show Haryana police baton charging the farmers.
Reacting to the clash between the police and farmers, Khattar told Indian media, "Obstructing official work is against democracy. If they wanted to protest, they should've done it peacefully. If they jam highways & throw stones at police, then the police will also take steps to maintain law and order. We'll look into it and take necessary action."
However, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi hit out at the Modi government and tweeted in Hindi: “When the blood of the farmer is shed, India bows its head in shame."
Angered by the police reaction to the protesting farmers, many people in Haryana are now blocking major roads including the Kurukshetra and Delhi-Amritsar highway, causing traffic jams.
Calling the police crackdown "brutal," the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, a coalition of over 40 Indian farmers' unions, has called on farmers across the state to block the national highways in protest against the attack.
Netizens expressed solidarity for the farmers and condemned the use of force: