The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

NEWS AND VIEWS

PUNJAB

HARYANA

JAMMU & KASHMIR

HIMACHAL

REGIONAL BRIEFS

NATION

OPINIONS

MAILBAG

BUSINESS

SPORTS

WORLD

SPECIAL COVERAGE

CHANDIGARH

LUDHIANA

DELHI

THE TRIBUNE SPECIALS

50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

TERCENTENARY CELEBRATIONS

M A I N N E W S

Police Brutality
Farmers take to roads
Prabhjot Singh
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 28
Irked by police brutalities at Chabba in Amritsar on Tuesday, farmers owing allegiance to five different organisations resorted to road blockades throughout the state today to warn the Punjab Government of a severe retaliation in case their demands were not conceded immediately.

Vehicular traffic remained suspended at several places in Lehragaga, Dhaula, Bhadaur, Mahal Kalan, Sukhpura (Sangrur), Dhurkot Lehrade Jeewan Singhwala (Bathinda), Doda (Muktsar), Wadhani Kalan (Moga), Bhikhi and Sardulgarh (Mansa), Mahadipura, Majitha and Chabba (Amritsar), Mathola and Fatehgarh Churrian (Gurdaspur), and Jalalabad (Ferozepore) from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Besides, the farmers also held demonstration in front of offices of the Deputy Commissioner of Ludhiana and Subdivisional Magistrates of Jaito and Abohar.

The protesting organisations — Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta), Punjab Kisan Union, Kisan Sangarsh Committee, Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta-Dakonda) and Zamin Bachao Committee (Barnala) — want the Punjab Government to concede all their long-standing demands.

They want that land acquired in Barnala for an industrial project should be restored to its rightful owners — the farmers and the government should waive all farm loans.

Their other major demands include action against all those police officials who were responsible for letting loose repression on peaceful farmers at Chabba, land under possession of Trident group should be freed, power bills and abiana should be waived, all farm loans should be written off and all cases registered against farmers during various agitations in the past few years should be withdrawn.

Various leaders who addressed farmers during protest rallies wanted the Congress government to give up its dictatorial attitude towards peaceful protestors and find a way to pacify agitated farmers of the state.

“Unless the government buys peace with farmers, it will have no choice but to face a severe retaliation from us,” warn farm leaders, including Mr Kanwalpreet Singh Pannu, Mr Ruldu Singh Mansa, Mr Rup Singh Channa, Mr Ajit Singh Sibia, Mr Joginder Singh Ugrahan, Mr Sukhdev Singh Kokri Kalan and Mr Manjit Singh Dhanaur.

They were all critical of the political brutalities and held that such acts of repression let loose by the law and enforcement agencies were fuelling rather than controlling the farmers’ agitation. With elections just some months away, they said, such actions of the police could prove counter productive and damage the interests of the ruling party.