Haryana Takes U-Turn On NSA, Cancels Police Action Against Farmer Leaders

Haryana government had earlier used the National Security Act against farmer leaders and asked the police to collect details of property damage in Ambala district.

New Delhi: The Haryana Police decided to cancel the use of the National Security Act (NSA), 1980 on some farm union leaders of Ambala district on Friday, after declaring it on Thursday night, officials reported. Sibash Kabiraj, IGP Ambala Range, stated that the farm leaders will not face the NSA. “We want to inform everyone that we have reviewed the matter of applying the National Security Act on a few farm union leaders of Ambala district and we have chosen not to use it,” he said. The Police also urged the farmers to work with the authorities to keep law and order.

“Haryana Police requests the protestors and their leaders to stay peaceful and cooperate with the authorities to maintain law and order,” Kabiraj added. Earlier, the Haryana government had used the National Security Act against farmer leaders and asked the police to collect details of property damage in Ambala district.

In an official release, Ambala Police wrote, “Since February 13, 2024, the farmer organizations have been trying to break the barricade set up on Shambhu Border by the farmers for their march to Delhi, and they have been disturbing the law and order by throwing stones at the police and making trouble.”

“During this time, the government and private property have suffered a lot of damage due to trespassing, the police said, adding that the administration had already warned that if the protestors harmed the government and private property, then they would have to pay for the loss by seizing their property and bank accounts.”

“If public property is harmed by the protestors during the protest, there is a change in the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act 1984 (PDPP Act) under the Supreme Court’s rules, which says that the people who harmed the public property during the protest or called for the protest and the officials of that organization are accountable for any damage done,” the release read.

According to the Haryana Public Administration’s Property Recovery Act 2021, if government property is damaged, there is a rule to make up for the loss of public property by attaching property and seizing bank accounts of the person who caused the loss.

“Actions to make up for the loss of government property during the farmers’ protest, attachment of property and seizure of bank accounts of the protestors have begun,” the Police release added. The National Security Act (NSA) of 1980 is a law in India that lets the government detain people to keep public order and national security.

The act lets the central or state government detain a person if they think that they may be doing something that threatens national security. The NSA is a preventive detention law, which means that it detains a person to stop them from doing future crimes and/or from running away from future trial.