close_game
close_game

HC-ordered land demarcation: DSP injured in farmer-cop clash in Bathinda

ByVishal Joshi, Bathinda
Jan 21, 2025 08:50 AM IST

DSP Rahul Bhardwaj and PSO injured in clashes with Bhartiya Kisan Union during a protest in Bathinda, as police attempted to rescue hostage officials.

A deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Rahul Bhardwaj and his personal security officer (PSO) suffered injuries after members of Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta-Ugrahan) clashed with the police during a protest at Jeond village in Bathinda district on Monday.

DSP Rahul Bhardwaj suffered injuries after clash with protesters in Bathinda (HT Photo)
DSP Rahul Bhardwaj suffered injuries after clash with protesters in Bathinda (HT Photo)

Both the cops were targeted after they rescued four revenue officials who had been taken hostage by the agitating union activists.

Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Amneet Kondal said Bhardwaj suffered a fracture to his left arm and underwent surgery at a private orthopaedic hospital in Bathinda city.

PSO suffered an injury in the forehead and he was admitted at the Shaheed Bhai Mani Singh Hospital.

“Police force was deployed at Jeond village on Monday to enable revenue officials to undertake land demarcation as per the orders of the Punjab and Haryana high court. As a team of patwaris reached the village, a mob held them hostage. DSP Bhardwaj led a police party to save patwaris from the mob. Bhardwaj and his PSO were attacked with sticks,” the SSP added. She said criminal cases in both incidents are being registered.

Police had to resort to mild force to disperse the mob after the DSP was attacked.

A police team seized a trolley of the protesters laden with bricks.

Union general secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokrikalan announced a ‘pucca morcha’ (longstanding protest) to foil any attempt by the district authorities to undertake land demarcation work.

70-year-old dispute triggers to clash

Deputy commissioner Showkat Ahmad Parray said that a nearly 70-year-old legal dispute between landowners and cultivator tenants is at the root of the standoff. The high court has asked the administration to complete land demarcation by the month-end.

Parray said as per the rules of Punjab and Eastern Punjab States Union (PEPSU), two-thirds of the land in Jeond village was awarded to cultivator tenants while the owners were given one-third of the land. The DC said that the Supreme Court settled the matter in favour of the landowners.

Parray said it was found that all revenue records of Jeond village except, jamabandi, suspiciously went missing in the 1990s.

“The government had appointed retired revenue officials to figure out the land ownership. But the process was stalled in the absence of documents. Now the department needs to map the outer boundary of the village to decide on ownership,” he added.   

Senior advocate Pawan Kumar said that 90-year-old Balraj Singh and nine others were the litigants to claim possession of the land that is being delayed.

Hearing a matter filed by the aggrieved party and landowner Balraj Singh, on April 4, 2023, the high court directed KAP Sinha, the additional chief secretary (revenue), to carry out the completion of revenue records followed by initiating land consolidation proceedings within six weeks.

Since the court order compliance was not done, the HC judge justice Harkesh Manuja served a contempt notice on Sinha on January 8 to appear through video conferencing before the court on the next hearing date on January 30.

In case the officer is unable to render any justifiable explanation, an amount of 1 lakh would be ordered to be paid from Sinha’s pocket for delaying the proceedings, reads the court order.

Following the court directions, the local administration sent a team of revenue officials to Jeond village near Rampura town but they could not pursue work due to a protest.

The union led by its president Joginder Singh Ugrahan, Jhanda Singh Jethuke and Kokrikalan addressed the activists, who gathered from different districts. Ugrahan said that they had gathered to register their protest against the violation of the rights of cultivator tenants. They appealed to the Punjab government to intervene and ensure that the rights of farmers were not breached.

4th incident in 3 months

This is the fourth such incident in the last three months when BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan) activists have targeted the police personnel.

Three cops were injured when a police team reached Bathinda’s Raike Kalan on November 11 last year when they went to rescue two food inspectors, including a woman and a naib tehsildar (revenue official) held hostage by the farmer union. The farmers were pressuring the food inspectors to allow paddy buying while overlooking the high-moisture content.

On November 22, union leaders again clashed with the police near Dunewala village in Bathinda, injuring 11 cops.

The farmers were trying to forcibly take back land acquired for the Jamnagar-Amritsar expressway project. BKU activists were demanding higher compensation for the land acquired for the project.

On December 5, more than a dozen cops, including three station house officers (SHOs) of Mansa district police, were injured when cops tried to prevent farmers from heading towards Bathinda’s Lelewala village, where a protest was being held regarding alleged inadequate compensation for land acquisition for a gas pipeline project.

As per the information, criminal cases were registered in Bathinda and Mansa and no one has been arrested to date.

rec-icon Recommended Topics
Share this article
See More
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Wednesday, February 19, 2025
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On