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7 farmers hurt in lathicharge after 10 revenue officials held hostage in Mukstar
Farmers’ protest over relief for cotton crop loss turned ugly, with seven BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan) members suffering injuries on Monday night allegedly after the police lathicharged protesting farmers outside the Lambi tehsil office in Mukstar district
Farmers’ protest over relief for cotton crop loss turned ugly, with seven BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan) members suffering injuries on Monday night allegedly after the police lathicharged protesting farmers outside the Lambi tehsil office in Mukstar district.
Accusing the farmers of holding 10 of their co-workers hostage, the Punjab revenue officers association (PROA) on Tuesday proceeded on an indefinite strike. Members said it was only after police intervention that they were released.
Association general secretary Sukhcharan Singh said the strike would be called off only after the arrest of the accused.
Saying that naib tehsildar Arjinder Singh and his nine subordinates were held hostage for nine hours at their office in Lambi by members of the BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan) and Punjab Khet Mazdoor Union around 3pm on Monday, Muktsar deputy commissioner (DC) Harpreet Sudan charged the farmer unions with pressing for compensation without furnishing any evidence of damage to their cotton crop by pink bollworm.
He denied having used any force to bring the situation under control and said the delay in relief disbursement was due to the assembly elections.
“The farmer unions were told that money would be credited into their bank accounts from Wednesday. The government has a policy on crop loss assessment, which was duly followed,” he said.
But the BKU leaders stated otherwise. They said BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan) Muktsar president Gurpash Singh Singhewal was injured in the lathicharge.
They added that they were only demanding compensation for the damage to their crop.
Nine farmer union activists, including Singhewal, Harpal Singh and Jagdeep Singh, have been booked under Sections 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 352 (assault or use of criminal force), 506 (criminal intimidation) and other sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Elaborating further on the compensation issue, the DC said, “After making details of the beneficiaries public on March 19, no request was received from any farmer. On February 7 also, they were asked to furnish affidavits with details of arhtiyas or private/government agency whom they had sold cotton to. But the unions turned down all offers and want relief for all cotton growers.”
BKU leader Gurpash Singh Singhewal said the onus of crop loss assessment was on the revenue department, and not the cotton growers.
“It was an unfair assessment as most of the villages severely hit by pink bollworm were left out. Farmers do not possess cotton sale papers and arhtiyas do not give sale records easily. Asking farmers to submit affidavits to claim compensation shows poor groundwork by the revenue department,” he said.
Meanwhile, the PROA has refused to meet the CM on April 5, demanding an early hearing.
Later in the evening, the farmer unions lifted the blockade on the Malout-Dabwali highway, saying a dharna will be held outside the Muktsar district administrative complex from Wednesday for withdrawal of the FIR against the activists and compensation to cotton growers.
