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Punjab Police use mild force to remove protesting farmers blocking national highway in Bathinda
The blockade lasted for around three hours, and district authorities had to divert light vehicle traffic via link roads, while trucks and other heavy vehicles remained stuck on the highway.
Police used mild force to remove activists of Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) who were blocking the Bathinda-Patiala national highway-7 near Bhucho Mandi town on Saturday afternoon. The activists had blocked the highway to protest against the Bhagwant Mann-led government’s delay in awarding compensation to farmers whose wheat crop was damaged due to unseasonal rains earlier this year.
The blockade lasted for around three hours, and district authorities had to divert light vehicle traffic via link roads, while trucks and other heavy vehicles remained stuck on the highway.
Ultimately, the police resorted to a mild cane charge to disperse the protesters. A few of the union members were also detained.
State secretary of the union, Shingara Singh Mann, said, the roadblock was held against the state government for delay in awarding compensation to farmers.
“The district authorities held negotiations with us but failed to resolve our demand,” he said, adding several members were hurt in the police action.
He also demanded immediate release of the activists detained by the police.
The members of the ultra-left-leaning union have been camping near the AAP legislator from Bhucho Mandi Master Jagsir Singh for the past many days.
