Ccg open statement farmers 05_feb21

1. 1
CCG OPEN STATEMENT IN SUPPORT OF FARMERS
5 February 2021
We are a group of former civil servants of the All India and Central Services who have
worked with the Central and State Governments in the course of our careers. As a group, we
have no affiliation with any political party but believe in impartiality, neutrality and commitment
to the Constitution of India. We, the Constitutional Conduct Group (CCG), would like to reassert
and reiterate our support for the farmers who are agitating for repeal of the three farm laws. We
are particularly concerned about the developments that took place on 26 January 2021, Republic
Day, the efforts to lay the blame on the farmers for the disruption of law and order on that day
and the events that have followed.
2. We note the following with grave concern:
2.1 The approach of the Government of India (GoI) towards the farmers’ protest has been an
adversarial and confrontationist one from the very beginning, treating the apolitical farmers like
an irresponsible opposition to be derided, demonised and defeated. The repeated, albeit
unsuccessful, attempts to polarise the agitation along regional, communal and other lines are also
reprehensible. Such an approach can never lead to a solution.
2.2 Regarding the incidents that happened on Republic Day:
i) The GoI has still not responded to the farmers’ assertion that the Delhi Police
erected barricades on the route agreed upon by both the farmers and the Delhi Police for
the tractor rally due to which a few of the farmers were forced to take another route.
ii) When one section of farmers hoisted their flag below the National Flag at the
Red Fort, why were the police doing literally nothing to prevent this occurrence? What
action has the GoI initiated against those in the Delhi Police, Ministry of Home Affairs
and Ministry of Defence for dereliction of duty?
iii) Why is it that this particular action by a few unruly elements was shown
repeatedly by the government controlled and other media? What happened in the
remaining places? Why was the peaceful tractor parade in other places, with citizens
welcoming the farmers with flowers and food, not shown?
2.3 Post Republic Day:
i) How is it that in Singhu, where there were barricades clearly dividing the farmers
sitting in demonstration, a few hooligans were able to break the barricades and attack the
farmers in the presence of police? Why did the police intervene much after the attack
took place? We have seen TV visuals where one unruly person had even snatched a lathi
from a policeman and attacked one of the farmers.

2. 2
ii) Why is it that essential services to the agitating farmers such as water, electricity
and the internet have been blocked, putting the thousands of people gathered there to
unspeakable difficulties?
iii) Why have barricades with concrete barriers, concertina wire, nails and spikes been
raised on the borders of Delhi to prevent the agitating farmers from entering? Such
barricades are not even erected on the borders of India with its neighbouring countries!
Are the agitating farmers being seen as enemies of the country?
3.1 Why are sedition charges made out against certain journalists and a Member of
Parliament of an opposition party on flimsy grounds, solely for certain tweets posted by them
when the factual position was not clear? The registration of the same case with very similar First
Information Reports in various states run by the BJP smacks of vindictiveness and seems to be
aimed at muzzling legitimate, democratic protests against the policies of the GoI.
3.2 Holding or presenting a view against the GoI or reporting different versions given by
different people about an incident can, under no law, be held as an act against the nation. It bears
repetition to say that a protest against a policy or action of the Government is not an act of
sedition against the nation.
3.3 Withdrawal of cases against the farmers and tweeters, including the journalists,
withdrawal of cases against all except miscreants who engaged in unlawful activities and
stopping the vicious and sickening propaganda of calling the farmers Khalistanis are the
minimum requirement for a conducive atmosphere for resumption of talks.
4. If the GoI is indeed interested in an amicable solution, instead of proposing half-hearted
steps such as putting the laws on hold for eighteen months, it can withdraw the three laws and
think of other possible solutions, given the basic Constitutional position that the subject of
agriculture is in the States’ list in the Constitution of India.
5. We in the CCG have, on 11 December 2020, issued a statement supporting the stand of
the farmers. All that has happened since has made us feel even more strongly that great injustice
has been done and continues to be done to the farmers. Therefore, we urge the GoI to take remedial
action on an issue which has caused so much turmoil in the country over the past several months.
6. We reassert and reiterate our support to the agitating farmers while expecting the GoI to provide
a healing touch and to solve the issue to the satisfaction of the stakeholders.
SATYAMEVA JAYATE
(75 signatories, pages 3-5 below)

3. 3
1. Anita Agnihotri IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Department of Social Justice
Empowerment, GoI
2. S.P. Ambrose IAS (Retd.) Former Additional Secretary, Ministry of Shipping &
Transport, GoI
3. Anand Arni R&AW
(Retd.)
Former Special Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat, GoI
4. G.
Balachandhran
IAS (Retd.) Former Additional Chief Secretary, Govt. of West Bengal
5. Vappala
Balachandran
IPS (Retd.) Former Special Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat, GoI
6. Gopalan
Balagopal
IAS (Retd.) Former Special Secretary, Govt. of West Bengal
7. Chandrashekhar
Balakrishnan
IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Coal, GoI
8. T.K. Banerji IAS (Retd.) Former Member, Union Public Service Commission
9. Sharad Behar IAS (Retd.) Former Chief Secretary, Govt. of Madhya Pradesh
10. Aurobindo
Behera
IAS (Retd.) Former Member, Board of Revenue, Govt. of Odisha
11. Madhu Bhaduri IFS (Retd.) Former Ambassador to Portugal
12. Sundar Burra IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Govt. of Maharashtra
13. Kalyani
Chaudhuri
IAS (Retd.) Former Additional Chief Secretary, Govt. of West Bengal
14. Gurjit Singh
Cheema
IAS (Retd.) Former Financial Commissioner (Revenue), Govt. of
Punjab
15. Anna Dani IAS (Retd.) Former Additional Chief Secretary, Govt. of Maharashtra
16. P.R. Dasgupta IAS (Retd.) Former Chairman, Food Corporation of India, GoI
17. M.G.
Devasahayam
IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Govt. of Haryana
18. Sushil Dubey IFS (Retd.) Former Ambassador to Sweden
19. A.S. Dulat IPS (Retd.) Former OSD on Kashmir, Prime Minister’s Office, GoI
20. K.P. Fabian IFS (Retd.) Former Ambassador to Italy
21. Gourisankar
Ghosh
IAS (Retd.) Former Mission Director, National Drinking Water
Mission, GoI
22. Suresh K. Goel IFS (Retd.) Former Director General, Indian Council of Cultural
Relations, GoI
23. S.K. Guha IAS (Retd.) Former Joint Secretary, Department of Women & Child
Development, GoI
24. H.S. Gujral IFoS
(Retd.)
Former Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Govt. of
Punjab
25. Meena Gupta IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Ministry of Environment & Forests,
GoI
26. Ravi Vira
Gupta
IAS (Retd.) Former Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of India
27. Wajahat
Habibullah
IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, GoI and Chief Information
Commissioner
28. Deepa Hari IRS
(Resigned)
29. Sajjad Hassan IAS (Retd.) Former Commissioner (Planning), Govt. of Manipur
30. Najeeb Jung IAS (Retd.) Former Lieutenant Governor, Delhi

4. 4
31. Ish Kumar IPS (Retd.) Former DGP (Vigilance & Enforcement), Govt. of
Telangana and former Special Rapporteur, National
Human Rights Commission
32. P.K. Lahiri IAS (Retd.) Former ED, Asian Development Bank & Former Revenue
Secretary, GoI
33. Subodh Lal IPoS
(Resigned)
Former Deputy Director General, Ministry of
Communications, GoI
34. Harsh Mander IAS (Retd.) Govt. of Madhya Pradesh
35. Aditi Mehta IAS (Retd.) Former Additional Chief Secretary, Govt. of Rajasthan
36. Sonalini
Mirchandani
IFS
(Resigned)
GoI
37. Sunil Mitra IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Ministry of Finance, GoI
38. Avinash
Mohananey
IPS (Retd.) Former Director General of Police, Govt. of Sikkim
39. Deb Mukharji IFS (Retd.) Former High Commissioner to Bangladesh and former
Ambassador to Nepal
40. P. Joy Oommen IAS (Retd.) Former Chief Secretary, Govt. of Chhattisgarh
41. Amitabha
Pande
IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Inter-State Council, GoI
42. Alok Perti IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Ministry of Coal, GoI
43. R.
Poornalingam
IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Ministry of Textiles, GoI
44. Rajesh Prasad IFS (Retd.) Former Ambassador to the Netherlands
45. T.R.
Raghunandan
IAS (Retd.) Former Joint Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, GoI
46. V.P. Raja IAS (Retd.) Former Chairman, Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory
Commission
47. C. Babu Rajeev IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, GoI
48. K. Sujatha Rao IAS (Retd.) Former Health Secretary, GoI
49. Satwant Reddy IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Chemicals and Petrochemicals, GoI
50. Vijaya Latha
Reddy
IFS (Retd.) Former Deputy National Security Adviser, GoI
51. Julio Ribeiro IPS (Retd.) Former Adviser to Governor of Punjab & former
Ambassador to Romania
52. Aruna Roy IAS
(Resigned)
53. Manabendra N.
Roy
IAS (Retd.) Former Additional Chief Secretary, Govt. of West Bengal
54. A.K. Samanta IPS (Retd.) Former Director General of Police (Intelligence), Govt. of
West Bengal
55. Deepak Sanan IAS (Retd.) Former Principal Adviser (AR) to Chief Minister, Govt. of
Himachal Pradesh
56. G. Sankaran IC&CES
(Retd.)
Former President, Customs, Excise and Gold (Control)
Appellate Tribunal
57. N.C. Saxena IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Planning Commission, GoI
58. Ardhendu Sen IAS (Retd.) Former Chief Secretary, Govt. of West Bengal
59. Abhijit
Sengupta
IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Ministry of Culture, GoI
60. Aftab Seth IFS (Retd.) Former Ambassador to Japan

5. 5
61. Ashok Kumar
Sharma
IFoS
(Retd.)
Former MD, State Forest Development Corporation, Govt.
of Gujarat
62. Ashok Kumar
Sharma
IFS (Retd.) Former Ambassador to Finland and Estonia
63. Navrekha
Sharma
IFS (Retd.) Former Ambassador to Indonesia
64. Raju Sharma IAS (Retd.) Former Member, Board of Revenue, Govt. of Uttar
Pradesh
65. Hardial Singh IAS (Retd.) Former Presiding Officer, Schools and Colleges Tribunal
(Chief Secretary rank), Govt. of Punjab
66. Ramesh Inder
Singh
IAS (Retd.) Former Chief Secretary, Govt. of Punjab and former Chief
Information Commissioner, Punjab
67. Tirlochan Singh IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, National Commission for Minorities,
GoI
68. Jawhar Sircar IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Ministry of Culture, GoI, & former
CEO, Prasar Bharati
69. Narendra
Sisodia
IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Ministry of Finance, GoI
70. P.S.S. Thomas IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary General, National Human Rights
Commission
71. Geetha Thoopal IRAS
(Retd.)
Former General Manager, Metro Railway, Kolkata
72. Hindal Tyabji IAS (Retd.) Former Chief Secretary rank, Govt. of Jammu & Kashmir
73. Jawed Usmani IAS (Retd.) Former Chief Secretary, Govt. of Uttar Pradesh & former
Chief Information Commissioner, Uttar Pradesh
74. Ashok Vajpeyi IAS (Retd.) Former Chairman, Lalit Kala Akademi
75. Ramani
Venkatesan
IAS (Retd.) Former Director General, YASHADA, Govt. of
Maharashtra