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Punjab Police detain SKM leaders ahead of Chandigarh sit-in
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha strongly condemned the Punjab Police action, terming it a “dictatorial step by the Bhagwant Mann government to suppress the democratic rights of farmers for peaceful protest”.
Ahead of their planned protest in Chandigarh on March 5, several Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) leaders were detained in early morning raids at their residences on Tuesday, with chief minister Bhagwant Mann hitting out at the agitating farmer unions, saying they have turned Punjab into a “state of dharnas” and caused huge losses to it.
Talking to reporters at the Kharar tehsil office in Mohali, Mann said he had categorically told the farmer bodies that they should not remain under the impression that he could not take action.
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha strongly condemned the Punjab Police action, terming it a “dictatorial step by the Bhagwant Mann government to suppress the democratic rights of farmers for peaceful protest”.
Opposition parties criticised the AAP government for the crackdown, which came a day after talks between Mann and SKM leaders ended abruptly with the CM walking out of their meeting.
“The government cannot stifle the voice of farmers with such steps,” Bharti Kisan Union (Lakhowal) general secretary Harinder Singh Lakhowal.
“Instead of putting pressure on the Union government to resolve the ongoing genuine struggle of farmers by convening discussions with all the farmer organisations that are on the struggle path, adhering to the disgraceful path of unleashing police at midnight in the houses to suppress and threaten the farmer’s leaders is politically wrong and highly unfortunate,” the SKM alleged.
The farmers body demanded from the CM to immediately release all the farmer leaders. The SKM said the Punjab Police raided houses of various farmer leaders across Punjab and took several leaders into custody, including Balbir Singh Rajewal, Ruldu Singh Mansa, Gurmeet Singh Bhatiwal, Nachhttar Singh Jaiton, Veerpal Singh Dhillon, Binder Singh Golewal, Gurnam Bhikhi and Harmesh Singh.
According to the SKM, Rajewal was taken into custody around 2:30 am. The police officials arrived at Rajewal’s residence in multiple vehicles, led by DSP Samrala Tarlochan Singh, around 1 am. “The officials remained at the house for nearly an hour before taking him away while he was asleep. We have not been informed about his whereabouts,” said Rajewal’s son, Tejinder Singh Teji.
In addition to Rajewal, around a dozen other farmer leaders from the Samrala area have been detained.
“Police raids have been carried on in the houses of prominent farmer leaders, including BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan) predient Joginder Singh Ugrahan, Raminder Singh Patiala, Buta Singh Burjgill, Harinder Singh lokhowal, Satnam Singh Ajnala, Gurmeet Singh Mehma and Rajinder Singh Deep Singh Wala,” the SKM said.
“They are trying to suppress our rights. About 10 cars reached my house for an investigation in the wee hours. This is a plan by the state government to tarnish our (farmers’) image by falsely accusing us of harassing people. We will sit on the side of roads. If roads are blocked, the police will block them, not us. We will show the country that it is not us blocking the roads, but the police,” said Ugrahan. He called upon farmer leaders to head towards Chandigarh. He asked farmers to sit at a vacant place if they are stopped by police on their way to Chandigarh, telling them not to block any road. “The Punjab government wants to defame us by claiming that they block roads,” said Ugrahan.
Several farmer leaders have gone “underground” while many have been put under house arrest, according to SKM members. Ludhiana deputy commissioner police Jaskaran Singh Teja said six farmer leaders were “detained”.
The SKM, which had led the 2020 agitation against the now-repealed three farm laws, is demanding the withdrawal of the Centre’s draft of the National Policy Framework on Agricultural Marketing, a legal guarantee on minimum support price as per the Swaminathan Commission report, implementing the state’s agricultural policy and purchase of six crops at MSP by the state government.
“We are fighting in support of various farmers’ demands. It is our right to hold protests. We warn the state government not to indulge in such police actions,” Lakhowal said.
Punjab Police raided houses of farm union leaders in the Doaba region, including Jalandhar and Hoshiarpur districts, and put them under house arrest.
Police personnel barged into the houses of farm union leaders and conducted a thorough search before detaining a few of them, besides putting several leaders and workers under house arrest. The leaders and their workers posted CCTV footages of the police action on social media.
The police whisked away senior SKM leader and head of the Doaba Kisan Sangharsh Committee Jangvir Singh Chauhan from his house at Tanda in Hoshiarpur around 4am. BKU (Doaba) Jalandhar district president Manjit Singh Rai said he along with eight other leaders have been put under house arrest.
“One of our leaders, Santokh Singh, was arrested following the police action. This is muzzling the voice of farmers, who are fighting for a genuine cause,” Rai said.
Police took several farmer leaders into custody from Barnala and Sangrur districts. They include Jagseer Singh Cheeniwal, the district president of the Bharati Kisan Union (BKU) Qadian, Sikandar Singh Maan, state leader of BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan), Jagseer Singh Seera, the block president of BKU (Dakaunda), Master Hardeep Singh Tallewal from the Krantikari Kisan Union, and Manjeet Raj, the district leader of the KKU.
The police also raided the house of Manjeet Singh Dhaner, the state president of the BKU (Dakaunda), though he was not at home and thus not apprehended.
BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan) activists surrounded two police vehicles at Fatehgarh Chhanna village in Barnala district to prevent the personnel from detaining farmer leaders early on Tuesday. The activists blocked the road to the village from 4.30am to 9am and did not allow the police vehicles to proceed.
SKM leader Raminder Singh Patiala said the police conducted a “raid” at his residence also. He said a scheduled meeting of the SKM that was to take place in Ludhiana on Tuesday has been suspended.
In a post on X, Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal said, “Today early morning, the police started raiding residences of kisan leaders and have detained many of them in a crude attempt to foil the March 5 Andolan of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha. Such dictatorial methods can never stifle the voice of the Annadata.
“The @Akali_Dal_ expresses solidarity with the protesting farmers & their cause and will do its utmost to ensure all their demands are accepted by this corrupt & arrogant @AAPPunjab govt.”
Senior Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa lashed out at the state government for the police action. “Farmers are protesting for the acceptance of their rightful demands. Instead of arresting farmers, take action against corrupt ministers, MLAs, and officers’¦. I demand the immediate release of farmer leaders,” said Bajwa. (With inputs from HTC, Sangrur)
