Bhai Bakhtaur (Bathinda), September 30
One farmer was killed and four were injured when a goods train coming from the Delhi side hit them here this afternoon. They were sitting in dharna on the Bathinda-Delhi rail section near the Bhai Bakhtaur level crossing.

The farmers, Gurdev Singh, Surjeet Singh, Dula Singh, Nath Singh and Kapur Singh, were severely injured when they were hit by the goods train while they were making an attempt to stop it as part of their agitation.

Gurdev Singh, a resident of Maur Charat Singh village, was in critical condition. He succumbed to his injuries in the Civil Hospital.

The agitation was launched by six farmers’ organisations against the “anti-farmer” policies of the Punjab Government led by Capt Amarinder Singh. The condition of Surjeet Singh was also serious. The other three injured, who were admitted to the emergency ward, were responding to the treatment. All the injured had suffered multiple injuries. A team of doctors, led by the Civil Surgeon, Dr S.K. Goyal, was monitoring the treatment of the injured.

Eyewitnesses said there would have been a bigger disaster had they not pulled a group of farmers away from the rail track when the goods train was approaching them and they were trying to stop it.

Mr Balwan Singh and Mr Balwant Singh, senior and junior drivers of the goods train loaded with coal, were hospitalised after they were beaten up by some farmer activists. Both Mr Balwan Singh and Mr Balwant Singh were admitted to the Civil Hospital, Maur Mandi. Their condition was stated to be stable.

Though the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Anurag Aggarwal, along with the SSP, Mr Ishwar Singh, reached the scene soon after getting information about the incident, what transpired between them and the representatives of the farmers’ organisations could not be known.

Talking to mediapersons, farmer leaders, including Mr Surjeet Singh Kokri Kalan, Mr Bhog Singh, Mr Surjeet Singh Phul, Mr Buta Singh Burj Gill and Mr Monu Singh, alleged that farmers were hit by the goods train deliberately. They said when the Railway officials were aware of the fact that a dharna on the railway lines would be staged by the farmers from 12 noon to 3 pm why did they allow the goods train to proceed towards Bathinda from the Maur Mandi station.

They said all those officials, including personnel of the Punjab police and officials of the civil administration, who forced the lever man to give the all-clear signal to the goods train should be held responsible for today’s incident.

They demanded that a high-level probe should be conducted into the incident and all those who were found guilty should be given exemplary punishment. They demanded that all the injured should be given Rs 2 lakh each as compensation apart from providing them treatment free of cost.

Meanwhile, the vehicular traffic on the Bathinda-Mansa road remained suspended after 12 noon till the filling of this report. The rail traffic on the Bathinda-Delhi rail section also came to a halt after the farmers staged a dharna there.

AMRITSAR: Eight farmers’ unions on Tuesday blocked the rail and road traffic here in protest against the “anti-farmer” policies of the Central Government.

Farmers stopped buses at the local bus stand and trains at the railway junctions to register their protest against the government. Anti-government slogans were raised at rallies in which hundreds of farmers took part to decry the policies of the government that have almost ruined the agricultural sector, they said.

GURDASPUR: Several hundred farmers, owing allegiance to eight kisan organisations, sat in a dharna on the level crossing, Mandi, here on Tuesday from 12 noon to 3 pm on a call given by their state units as part of their ‘rail and rasta roko’ programme. The Amritsar-bound train which was to leave Gurdaspur railway station at 1.30 pm was detained till 3 pm and steamed off only at 3 pm after the dharna was lifted.

JALANDHAR: To protest against the failure of the Central Government to increase in the minimum support price (MSP), initiate paddy procurement from September 15 and the move to privatise the power sector, hundreds of farmers blocked the rail and road traffic at Phillaur and Bhogpur on a call given by the eight farmers’ organisations between 12 noon and 3 pm on Tuesday.

PATIALA: Farmers belonging to various farmers’ organisations in the state on Tuesday blocked the rail and road traffic at Rajpura, 22 km from here, for three hours to protest against the “anti-farmer” policies of the Central as well as the Punjab governments.

The farmers first assembled in the grain market at Rajpura and then marched to the bypass raising slogans on the way. They blocked both rail and road traffic there.

PHILLAUR: As part of their statewide ‘rail and rasta roko’ agitation activists belonging to different farmers’ organisations blocked the rail traffic on the Ludhiana-Jalandhar rail section near the Nurmahal level crossing here for more than two hours on Tuesday.

Farmers held a massive rally on the railway lines and sat in dharna in protest against the “indifferent” attitude of the Centre and state governments towards their demands.

Meanwhile, the railway authorities stopped the Malwa Express at Bhatian railway station, a goods train at Phillaur railway station, and the Flying Mail at Goraya railway station as a precautionary measure.