The Punjab Arhtiyas Association has asked the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) to include the withdrawal of cases registered against its member commission agents by the income tax department during the farmers’ agitation in the list of demands to be taken up with the central government.
Association president Vijay Kalra said, “I talked to morcha leaders Balbir Singh Rajewal and Gurnam Singh Charuni. We supported the farmers in their difficult time and also faced consequences. If these cases are not withdrawn, it will take us years to fight them.”
The premises of six commission agents — two in Patiala, one each in Makhu, Rajpura, Samana and Nawanshahr — were raided in December last year and they were served notices for income tax violations. The premises of Kalra were also raided with I-T officials seizing records, which according to him are still with the department.
Most of those raided are office-bearers of the association and they had publically announced their support to the protesting farmers.
Rajewal said, “The arhtiyas also suffered when our protest started at the Delhi borders. We will certainly raise their issue when we meet the central government representatives.”