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Ludhiana: Farmers allege assault, extortion by parking staff at Dana Mandi
The allegations triggered a protest by farmers, which was later withdrawn following the intervention of Punjab Mandi Board chairman Gurjeet Singh
The vegetable market near Dana Mandi on Bahadurke Road turned into a flashpoint of unrest on Thursday after farmers accused parking staff and contractors of running an illegal extortion racket and assaulting cultivators who resisted the unlawful collections. The allegations triggered a protest by farmers, which was later withdrawn following the intervention of Punjab Mandi Board chairman Gurjeet Singh.
The agitation was led by farmer leader Dilbag Singh, who, along with scores of cultivators, announced a sit-in against the contractor and parking staff operating outside the vegetable market. The farmers alleged that illegal tax was being collected brazenly and that those refusing to pay were being threatened and even physically attacked.
Dilbag Singh alleged that a few days ago, farmers who had come to sell vegetables were verbally abused by parking staff over the illegal levy. The situation, he said, took a violent turn when the staff allegedly attacked the farmers with sharp-edged weapons, leaving them seriously injured. The injured farmers are currently undergoing treatment at the Civil Hospital, and medical reports related to the incident have been submitted to the police. “We will not tolerate such hooliganism any longer,” Dilbag Singh said, alleging that illegal activities had been flourishing in the market for a long time. He further claimed that even cyclists and pedestrians were not spared and were being coerced into paying money.
The farmers questioned how parking charges could be imposed on them when Market Committee rules explicitly prohibit levying any such fee on cultivators. “If the rules do not allow this, then who is backing these collections?” they asked, alleging official complicity or tacit patronage. As tensions mounted, Punjab Mandi Board chairman Gurjeet Singh intervened and convened a meeting of both parties at the Market Committee office. During the discussions, Dilbag Singh said the farmers also flagged issues of poor sanitation and overcharging within the market premises.
“The contractors admitted their mistake and gave a written assurance that such incidents would not be repeated,” he said, adding that the farmers had decided to withdraw their protest for the time being in view of the assurance. Chairman Gurjeet Singh said the contractors had been issued a stern warning and made it unequivocally clear that overcharging or any form of illegal collection would not be tolerated under any circumstances. He also announced that action would soon be initiated against illegal roadside vendors outside the mandi.
