Unions flay arrest of protesters opposing government land sale in Ludhiana

The arrests were made while protesters were opposing the transfer of land belonging to the Sheron sugar mill in the Tarn Taran district to PUDA.

Ludhiana

The unions warned the state government that if the arrested leaders were not released immediately and the decision to sell government land was not withdrawn, power employees’ organisations would intensify their agitation. (HT)

The power employees’ unions and farmers’ organisations on Wednesday strongly condemned the arrest of farmer leaders and power employees’ representatives who were staging a peaceful protest against the transfer and proposed sale of government land in Punjab.

Leaders of major power employees’ and pensioners’ bodies, including the PSEB Employees Joint Forum, Bijli Mulazam Ekta Manch Punjab, Association of Junior Engineers, Grid Sub-Station Employees Union, Pension Union (AITUC) and Pension Welfare Federation, criticised the arrest of leaders of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha and Bijli Mulazam Ekta Manch Punjab convenor Gurpreet Singh Gandiwind. The arrests were made while protesters were opposing the transfer of land belonging to the Sheron sugar mill in the Tarn Taran district to PUDA.

They said farmers’ and employees’ unions across the state were jointly resisting the move and asserted that the arrest of leaders holding peaceful protests amounted to an attack on the democratic rights of citizens.

The unions warned the state government that if the arrested leaders were not released immediately and the decision to sell government land was not withdrawn, power employees’ organisations would intensify their agitation in coordination with the Samyukt Kisan Morcha. They said the responsibility for any escalation of the situation would lie entirely with the government.