Hundreds of protesters under the banner of Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) staged a dharna outside the Dhanaula police station in Barnala on Friday to oppose the registration of a case against eight farmers for allegedly damaging the crops of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Harjit Singh Grewal.
Farmers led by Samyukt Kisan Morcha had allegedly uprooted paddy from the fields belonging to Grewal at his native place in Dhanaula in July this year. Police recently nominated eight farmers in the FIR and arrested four of them.
Samyukt Kisan Morcha leader Balwant Singh Uppli said police had registered a “false” FIR under Grewal’s pressure. He said farmers will keep opposing the BJP leader, who has remained at loggerheads with them over the three agriculture laws, and intensify the agitation for cancelling the FIR.
“We have also submitted an application against Grewal for using derogatory language against women farmers. We demand that an FIR be registered against him and the false case against farmers be quashed,” said Uppli.
Dhanaula police station in-charge Harsimranjit Singh said investigations are still on in the case against farmers. It was registered under Sections 441 (criminal trespass), 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon) and 149 (unlawful assembly) of the Indian Penal Code.