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Now, farmer unions to press for Navdeep’s release in Ambala
Navdeep was arrested with his aide Gurkirat Shahpur in the end of March near Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport of Mohali by the CIA-1 unit of the police in a murder bid case registered on February 13 in connection with the ongoing farmers’ agitation.
Even as the Punjab and Haryana high court had ordered opening of the Haryana-Punjab border and Shambhu, farmer unions protesting on the other side of the border are now set for another battle – to press for the release of Navdeep Jalbera aka water cannon boy.
The 29-year-old farm activist was arrested with his aide Gurkirat Shahpur in the end of March near Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport of Mohali by the CIA-1 unit of the police in a murder bid case registered on February 13 in connection with the ongoing farmers’ agitation.
Just after this, farmers led by Samyukt Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, had decided to protest against the arrest. After a meeting last month, the morcha resolved to organise a large protest outside the office of Ambala SP on July 17.
As the date comes closer, Bhartiya Kisan Union (Shaheed Bhagat Singh) chief Amarjeet Singh Mohri has held several corner meetings in the region to invite farmers for the gherao protest, faction’s spokesperson Tejveer Singh Panjokhara said.
“After the court order, the BJP government in Haryana had deployed additional security personnel and erected temporary shelters on both sides of the highway. The deployment increased since Thursday morning. A meeting will be held on July 14 to decide the next course of action, but protest to release Navdeep remains intact,” Tejveer said.
This comes at a time when the high court order on July 10 of opening the border within a week also ends on the same date.
However, during Navdeep’s trial in the case at an Ambala court, it was revealed that he was booked in at least 15 other criminal cases.
His counsel, advocate Rohit Jain said, “The Ambala police had submitted before the court that he was named in a total of 16 cases, out of which six were withdrawn and he was arrested in two cases of which he was granted bail in one by the high court. Now, the hearing on the bail application in another case is listed for July 16.”
