Chandigarh: Amid the farmers' recent scuffle with Police and several Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, a video of a top district official in Harayana asking policemen to crack the heads of protesters has surfaced on social media, drawing criticism from a wide section of people, including BJP MP Varun Gandhi.


Around 10 people were injured earlier in the day after Police allegedly lathicharged a group of farmers disrupting traffic movement on a highway while heading towards Karnal to protest against a BJP meeting.


Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, state BJP president Om Prakash Dhankar and other senior leaders of the party were present at the meeting.


In the viral video, Karnal's Sub-Divisional Magistrate can be seen instructing few policemen that no protesters should go beyond a certain barricaded area.


While speaking to policemen, the SDM says, "It is very simple that no one should be allowed to reach there, whoever he is, wherever he is from. This is should not be breached at any cost. Just pick up your lathi and hit them hard. There is no need for any instruction on this, just hit them. If anyone comes here, I want to see his head cracked."


At the end of the conversation, the SDM can be heard asking "Any doubt?" To which the policemen responded, "No Sir". 


Watch The Video Below



The video surfaced on social media after Haryana Police drew severe criticism for the action against the farmers, and several roads were blockaded at different places in protest.


The affected routes included the Fatehabad-Chandigarh, Gohana-Panipat and the Jind-Patiala highways, and the Ambala-Chandigarh and the Hisar-Chandigarh national highways.


Haryana Bhartiya Kisan Union (Chaduni) chief Gurnam Singh Chaduni told news agency PTI that the Police brutally lathicharged the protesting farmers, leaving many injured.


Several protesters present at the site near the Bastara toll plaza around 15 km from Karnal claimed to have witnessed 8-10 people sustain injuries in the police action.


Farmers protesting the central farm laws have been opposing public functions of the BJP-JJP combine in Haryana.