On Friday, the Haryana Police in Ambala district canceled the enforcement of the National Security Act (NSA), 1980 against the key officeholders of farmers’ unions and the demonstrators, following its announcement late on Thursday night.
The IGP of Ambala range said that the NSA will not be invoked against the farm leaders. “This is to clarify to all concerned that the matter of invoking provisions of the National Security Act on a few farm union leaders of district Ambala has been reconsidered and it has been decided that the same will not be invoked,” he said.
The Police also urged farmers to collaborate with the authorities in upholding law and order. “Haryana Police appeals to the protestors and their leaders to maintain peace and cooperate with the authorities in maintaining law and order,” Kabiraj added.
Previously, the Haryana government had applied the National Security Act to farmer leaders, while police officials in the Ambala district were collecting information regarding property damage. In an official statement, Ambala Police wrote, “From February 13, 2024, continuous efforts are being made by the farmer organizations to break the barricade imposed on Shambhu Border by the farmers regarding their march to Delhi, and daily attempts are being made to spoil the law and order by pelting stones at the police administration and creating a ruckus.”
“During this period, a lot of damage has been caused to the government and private property by encroachment, the police said, adding the administration had already that if the agitators caused damage to government and private property then this loss would be compensated by seizing their property and bank accounts.”
“If public property is damaged by the agitators during the movement, there is an amendment in the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act 1984 (PDPP Act) under the provisions of the Supreme Court in which, the people who caused damage to public property during the movement or called for the movement and the officials of that organization are held responsible for any damage caused,” the statement read.
Under the Haryana Public Administration’s Property Recovery Act 2021, in instances of government property damage, there exists a provision for compensating the loss of public property. This involves seizing the property and freezing bank accounts of the individual responsible for the damage. “Proceedings to compensate for the loss of government property during the farmers’ protest, attachment of property and seizure of bank accounts of the protestors have been initiated,” the Police statement added.
The National Security Act (NSA) of 1980 is a law in India giving permission to the government to arrest people to maintain public order and national security. Central or state government can detain a person if there is cause to suspect that they might be involved in an activity endangering national security. The NSA is a law allowing for preventive detention, which entails holding individuals to prevent them from committing future offenses or evading future prosecution.
