11 farmers booked for holding Punjab officials hostage in Bathinda, clashing with cops
Farmers protesting over the issue of moisture content limit in paddy crop during its auction at the grain market at Raike Kalan illegally detained two food inspectors and a naib tehsildar and later clashed with police, injuring three personnel and damaging two vehicles on Monday evening.
Eleven activists of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta-Ugrahan) were on Tuesday booked for holding three Punjab government officials hostage and attacking a police team at the grain market in Bathinda’s Raike Kalan on Monday evening.
A group of farmers protesting over the issue of moisture content limit in paddy crop during its auction at the grain market allegedly held two food inspectors, including a woman, and a naib tehsildar (revenue official) captive and later clashed with the police. Six people, including three personnel, were injured and two police vehicles were damaged in the clash, officials said.
The farmers were pressuring the food inspectors to allow buying paddy while overlooking the high moisture content. The naib tehsildar arrived to get the food inspectors released when the protesting farmers took him into their illegal custody, too.
A police team reached the grain market to get the officials released but the protesting farmers refused to let them go, leading to the clash. Later, the police team managed to get the two officials released and the injured were taken to the civil hospital in Bathinda.
Farmers charged with attempt to murder, no arrest yet
The two first information reports (FIRs) were registered at Nandgarh police station in which the four farm union activists were charged with attempt to murder, wrongful confinement of officials and obstructing them from discharging their duty.
A district police spokesperson said on Tuesday that no one has been arrested yet.
According to sources, six people, including the three police personnel, suffered injuries when the police used force to get the officials released.
The first FIR was registered on the complaint of Rajveer Singh, the inspector with the state food and civil supplies department’s Pungrain. Rajveer said that his colleague, Navjot Kaur, from Punsup and naib tehsildar Vipin Sharma were held hostage at the mandi at Raike Kalan.
He said Jagsir Singh Jhumba, Ram Singh, Ajay Pal Singh and Gora Singh led the group of farm union activists that held the officials captive while pressuring them to allow the buying of paddy by overlooking the high moisture content.
Complaints of shortage of bags, slow lifting
“I went to the mandi after getting complaints of shortage of gunny bags and slow lifting. While I was examining the official records, a group of farmers from the Ekta-Ugrahan faction held Navjot Kaur and me hostage. Naib tehsildar Sharma was also held captive. We were released only after a police team accompanied by SDM Balkaran Singh intervened,” the complainant said.
The four union leaders were booked under Sections 221 (to obstruct any public servant in the discharge of his public functions; 132 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty); 127 (wrongful confinement); 191 (rioting); and 190 (unlawful assembly) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Second FIR on injured policeman’s complaint
Another FIR was registered on the complaint of assistant sub inspector Paramjeet Kumar, who was injured after the farmers attacked the police. He said that senior officials from the civil and police departments were already at the spot to defuse the tension, but the farmer unions were adamant about taking the officials captive.
“Following the police action, the officials were rescued and whisked away from the mandi. As we were returning, a group of farmer unions led by Ram Singh stopped my vehicle and attacked me with an axe. I suffered injuries on the right hand,” he said.
On his complaint, 10 farmer leaders, namely Ram Singh, Jagsir Singh Jhumba, Ajay Pal Singh, Jaskaran Singh, Lachhman Singh, Gurtej Singh, Buta Singh, Jagdev Singh, Jhanda Singh and Harjinder Singh, were charged under Sections 109 (for attempt to murder), 132 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) 115 (2) (voluntarily causing hurt) 61 (2) criminal conspiracy and other sections of the BNS.
Jhumba, the leader of the union’s Bathinda unit, said that the officials were held hostage as a mark of protest due to irregularities in paddy procurement.
Deputy commissioner Showkat Ahmad Parray denied any laxity in paddy procurement at Raike Kalan mandi. “Till November 11, 4,775 tonnes of paddy had arrived at the mandi out of which 4,400 tonnes have already been purchased. We have managed to lift 3,324 tonnes from the mandi and there has been no difficulty in procurement at the centre,” the DC said.