Ludhiana: Tension in Jagraon, Samrala as cops try to forcibly remove protesters

While police managed to disperse local in Bhundari village, agitation intensified in Akhara village; ops start at Mushqabad plant

Tensions escalated on Thursday in some villages of Jagraon and Samrala as police tried to forcibly disperse protests over biogas plans, officials aware of the matter said. As the protesters, a lot of them women, refused to budge, the police detained several locals to break the agitation. Police said the detained leaders were later released.

Police force at Samrala’s Mushqabad village in Ludhiana on Thursday. (HT Photo)

They said the protests are being organised outside the biogas plant sites in Jagraon’s Bhundari and Akhara villages, and Samrala’s Mushqabad village, among others.

The police action, which started at 7 am and continued for at least four hours, came just ahead of the hearing in Punjab and Haryana high court of a case against the biogas plants.

As the police faced strong resentment from the villagers, they could only manage to disperse the agitation in Bhundari village. In the aftermath of the police action, the protest escalated in Akhara, where it has been ongoing for over a year now. As the cops tried to lift the protest in Akhara, more villagers turned up and started raising slogans against the police.

The biogas plant in Mushqabad village started operations on Thursday, officials said.

For the past year, residents of these villages have been up in arms against the biogas plants being built by the state government. The locals cite apprehensions about the possible impact of these plants on the environment and their health. Villagers claimed they visited biogas plants in other states and found that they had detrimental effects on the locals’ health.

Villagers from Mushqabad, including Amrik Singh, Bhindar Kaur and Balwinder Kaur, voiced opposition and said they will not allow the plant to operate at any cost as they believe it poses a serious threat to their well being.

Samrala deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Tarlochan Singh said the force was ensuring law and order as the villagers were demanding a complete shutdown of the factory. He added that additional police forces were deployed to prevent any untoward incidents.

As tensions grew, duty magistrate Rajwinder Kaur, block development officer (BDO) Rupinder Kaur and other senior officials arrived at the scene in Mushqabad village to oversee the situation.

More villages to join agitation

The villagers termed the police action ‘forceful suppression’. The protesters said they were willing to be arrested and claimed that eight to 10 neighbouring villages will arrive in solidarity with the agitators.

Opposing the detentions, protesters said if they were not released, the entire village would march to the police station and volunteer for mass arrests.

Earlier on February 1, the police cracked down on an agitation in Bagga Kala village, where farmers were protesting outside the Reliance Gas Plant. The protest was dispersed, and several protesters were detained in the police action. The detained villagers were released two hours later following mounting pressure from farmer unions and locals.