Hisar: The leaders of farmer bodies and khap panchayats in Haryana Wednesday announced that they won’t allow anyone to touch members of the Muslim community days after violence hit the Nuh district.

These leaders had gathered in Hisar’s Baas village to announce their determination to counter the communal violence in the state.

The farmer panchayat, which was attended by nearly 2,000 farmers from Hindu, Muslim and Sikh communities, was the first such event at this scale in Haryana after the recent violence. The event has significance in the backdrop of threats to the members of Muslim community and alleged resolution by a few village panchayats against the entry of minority community members in their villages.

Referring to the threats to the Muslim community members, farmer leader Suresh Koth said: “Ye khade Mussalman, tok ke dikha do. Saari khapen jimmewar hain (The Muslims are here. No one can touch them. All the khaps are responsible (for their protection).” Koth, who is also a khap leader from Hisar district, had played an important role during the farmers’ protest against the three farm laws. Koth added that reports regarding entry ban for Muslims in a few villages are false.

In Wednesday’s panchayat, farmers also took the pledge that they won’t participate in any type of caste or communal violence apart from making efforts to restore peace in Nuh. The panchayat also demanded action against those who were responsible for provoking people by uploading videos on social media.

According to Koth, earlier, they had planned a convention in Baas village on August 9 to discuss the issues concerning farming. But, the farmer leader says, “the Nuh violence issue has taken a central stage and it needs to be tackled first”. Notably, the venue of Wednesday’s event, Baas village is surrounded by those districts where the farmers had actively participated in the farmer agitation fought against three farm laws in 2020-21 which were repealed later.

The farmer leaders are taking a lead to ensure communal harmony keeping in view the support they received across the communities during their agitation against three farm laws. At Khatkar Kalan toll plaza in Jind district, during the agitation, the farmers had celebrated festivals of all religions. On the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr, the farmers had even offered namaz at the Khatkar Kalan protest site in 2021.

Farmers from Mewat, had participated in the “pakka morchas” of the farmers set up at the borders of the national capital during their stir.

The farmer leaders believe that their nearly 13-month long agitation had strengthened the bonding among the people of different communities.