Property dealers stage half-naked protest in Muktsar against rate hikes

On the eighth day of their indefinite protest, the property dealers, colonisers and document writers on Monday staged a half-naked protest outside the District Administrative Complex (DAC) by removing their shirts, t-shirts, vests and hanging them to the DAC's main entrance. They also blocked a road outside the DAC and performed 'jaap' for over an hour.

They are up in arms against the state government over the three hikes in collector rates of the property in roughly, the last two years.

Earlier, on Friday, they had lodged a protest outside the DAC by playing flute in front of a buffalo, saying that their demand of rollback in the decision of hike in collector rates of property was falling on deaf ears of the concerned authorities.

Karamjit Karma, a property dealer said that their business was hit hard nobody was bothered. "The state government is not paying attention to the problems being faced by property dealers, colonisers and document writers. We are lodging an indefinite protest and getting support from all opposition parties as well. The protesters will continue until our demand is met," said Karma.

Later, Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Gurpreet Singh Thind and District Revenue Officer (DRO) Sandeep Garg came to meet the protesters and assured them that their demand would be conveyed to the high-ups, after which the protesters dispersed. However, they claimed that their indefinite protest at Kotkapura chowk will continue.

SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, PCC chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, senior BJP leader Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi visited the site of indefinite protest and have lent their support to the protesters.