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Farm unions protest, seek action against Bathinda SSP
Holding placards, the protesters also held a march and demanded the registration of criminal cases against police officials, compensation for injured BKU volunteers, and the withdrawal of cases against the union members
The activists of various farmers and labourers’ unions held a rally in Bathinda, demanding action against the Bathinda senior superintendent of police (SSP) Jyoti Yadav for allegedly using excessive force against members of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) during demonstrations on February 6 and 18, last month.
The activists assembled under the leadership of the Ugrahan faction of the BKU.
Holding placards, the protesters also held a march and demanded the registration of criminal cases against police officials, compensation for injured BKU volunteers, and the withdrawal of cases against the union members.
BKU (Ugrahan) head Joginder Singh Ugrahan charged the SSP with acting as a puppet for the political class.
“The Bathinda SSP is married to the AAP leader and state education minister Harjot Singh Bains, and she is working for the interests of the ruling party. Our volunteers were brutally beaten by the police, and tear gas shells were fired when they were marching in support of our demands,” Ugrahan said.
BKU (Dakaunda) president Manjit Singh Dhaner said that another gathering of farmer unions will be held at Barnala on March 10 as a mark of protest against the police’s anti-farmer union stance.
On February 18, Bathinda police lobbed tear gas shells at Jeond village in Bathinda to disperse stone-pelting activists of the BKU (Ekta Ugrahan).
The clash broke out after the authorities moved to prevent the BKU members from reaching the district administrative complex for a protest.
The BKU was demanding the release of its leaders, Baldev Singh and Shagandeep Singh, who were in judicial custody for the alleged assault of DSP Rahul Bhardwaj last January.
They are also seeking the revocation of attempt-to-murder charges. Both accused were later granted bail by the high court on February 18.
The standoff followed a similar violent confrontation on February 6. While civil and police officials held multiple rounds of talks with BKU leadership, the administration maintained that the matter was sub-judice and outside their jurisdiction.
Despite these warnings, the union proceeded with its call for a sit-in, prompting the security crackdown.
