In a shocking incident, a three-member Punjab government inspection team deputed to check paddy stubble burning was not only held hostage but also forced to light the crop residue by farmers of Mehma Sarja village, 20km from Bathinda, on Friday. The farmers recorded the humiliation of the three officials on their phones and posted the video on social media, sparking off outrage. Though the team reported the matter to the district authorities, an FIR was registered only after chief minister Bhagwant Mann ordered the police to act on Saturday.
The chief minister took to X to express displeasure over the incident and posted the video, where the farmers can be identified.
Police said a case is being registered. Bathinda SSP Gulneet Khurana said the accused farmers have been identified and teams have deployed to arrest them.
Also read: Farm fires near 13,000 in Punjab, AQI deteriorates
The incident occurred around 3.30pm on a day when Punjab reported 1,551 farm fires, taking the total number of stubble burning cases to 12,813. Bathinda was the most polluted district in the state as the air quality index due to the resultant smog was 349, which falls in the very poor category.
The three-member team, led by public works department (PWD) sub-divisional engineer (SDE) Harpreet Sagar, acted on a tip-off and reached Mehma Sarja village to find the field of a farmer, Ram Singh, on fire.
“On reaching the spot, I urged Ram Singh to douse the fire and tried to sensitise him about the adverse effects of residue burning. He expressed inability to manage the stubble in an eco-friendly manner and started making phone calls. Soon, a large number of villagers reached the spot and started misbehaving with us. The mob forced me to torch the stubble,” Sagar said.
{{/usCountry}}“On reaching the spot, I urged Ram Singh to douse the fire and tried to sensitise him about the adverse effects of residue burning. He expressed inability to manage the stubble in an eco-friendly manner and started making phone calls. Soon, a large number of villagers reached the spot and started misbehaving with us. The mob forced me to torch the stubble,” Sagar said.
{{/usCountry}}Sagar, who was accompanied by junior engineers Shamsher Singh and Sukhpal Singh, said he immediately informed the deputy commissioner’s office and senior officials of the department (PWD) in Bathinda.
The officials swung into action only after the video shot by the farmers started doing the rounds on social media on Saturday.
Official sources said Sagar had submitted a written complaint to the authorities on Friday itself.