Chandigarh, January 23
With tears in their eyes they narrated their tale of woe to Akali leaders, who had gone today to Kashipur in Uttaranachal under the leadership of Mr Parkash Singh Badal, President of the Shiromani Akali Dal( SAD). The leaders had gone to meet Punjabi farmers who were evicted from the Escorts farm there.

“ Many of the farmers and their families are still living in tents or in other improvised shelters”, said Dr Daljit Singh Cheema, secretary of the SAD.

Talking to The Tribune on the phone from Kashipur, Mr Cheema said that even leaders like Mr Badal were in tears after hearing the heart-rending tales of the evicted families. “ Every Akali leader had moist eyes after meeting certain Hindu farmer families, including a widow who was also living in the farmhouse”, said Mr Cheema.

Mr Cheema said the Uttaranchal Government authorities treated Punjabi farmers and their families in such a brutal manner that they would never forget what happened to them. A good number of families had urged the government to give them time to vacate the houses on the farm. However, the government officials did not give them any time and used bulldozers to bring down their houses.

Commenting on what happened to the farmers at Kashipur, Mr Badal, said “even the British did not go to the extent of demolishing the houses of freedom fighters like this”. He said this incident had shocked the whole country. “ It was a grave violation of human rights”, he added. “ I have never seen an elected government acting in such a cruel way against people”, he said.

Mr Badal urged the Uttaranchal Government to give land back to the farmers who were forcibly thrown out of their houses. Mr Badal was accompanied by most of the members of the Political Affairs Committee of the party besides MPs, MLAs, former Ministers of Punjab, district party presidents and the SGPC President, Mr Avtar Singh. Mr Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Mr Ranjit Brahmpura, Mr Gurdev Singh Badal and Mr Sukhbir Singh were among the leaders present.

Mr Badal and other leaders, who addressed a rally of the evicted farmers, said it was surprising that the government authorities had not stopped the eviction process in spite of the Supreme Court’s directions in this regard. He urged the Uttaranchal Chief Minister, Mr N.D. Tiwari, to apologise for what he and his administration had done to the farmers. Mr Badal also urged the BJP leaders present at the rally to register criminal cases against the officers who were involved in the eviction of the farmers.