E-Paper
4 Punjab govt officials held hostage by farmers in Jalalabad
Farmers’ group held four government officials hostage for four hours in Jalalabad of Fazilka district. The officials were identifying farms where stubble burning was reported
A group of farmers on Monday held four government officials hostage for four hours at Chak Balocha (Mahalam) village in Jalalabad of Fazilka district. As per information, the office of sub divisional magistrate, Jalalabad had sent six teams in various parts of area to identify the ownership of the farm lands where stubble burning cases were reported so that ‘red entries’ into their revenue record be made as per instructions of the state government.
Meanwhile, on Monday evening at about 4.30 pm, when a four-member team including revenue Patwaris Baldev Singh and Mahinder Partap accompanied by block agriculture officers Surinder Kumar and Baljeet Kumar reached at local village Chak Balocha (Mahalam), to check the ownership of farmland involved into stubble burning, a group farmers made them hostages.
“In the meantime, news of making the officials as hostages spread fast in the vicinity so other five teams of the administration, which also went to identify the owners of violators of stubble burning to make red entries, returned empty handed,” revealed an official privy to the matter.
Farmers have expressed helplessness and said stubble burning was the only viable option left for them.
“When the state government is itself admitting that they have failed to make adequate arrangements. Therefore, farmers have no option but to burn stubble. These officials had come here to take action against farmers hence they were made hostage,” said farmer leader Gurwinder Singh.
Meanwhile, local Naib tehsildar initially went to get the hostages freed from farmers but could not succeed and later Ravinder Arora, sub divisional magistrate, Jalalabad, reached at the spot and successfully got all the hostages freed at about 8.30 pm.
When contacted, Ravinder Arora , admitted the hostage incident and said no untoward incident took place while red entries into the record of violators (who burnt stubble) will be made as per guidelines of the state government.
