Gas pipeline project: 3 SHOs injured as farmers clash with police in Mansa

In a third clash of its kind in less than a month, more than a dozen cops, including three station house officers (SHOs) of Mansa district police, were injured when Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta-Ugrahan) activists clashed with them on Thursday morning

Bathinda: In a third clash of its kind in less than a month, more than a dozen cops, including three station house officers (SHOs) of Mansa district police, were injured when Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta-Ugrahan) activists clashed with them on Thursday morning.

In a third clash of its kind in less than a month, more than a dozen cops, including three station house officers (SHOs) of Mansa district police, were injured when Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta-Ugrahan) activists clashed with them on Thursday morning.

Deputy inspector general of police (DIG), Bathinda range, Harjit Singh said both hands of Bhikhi SHO Gurbir Singh were fractured when farm union members attacked police in Mansa. The police were preventing farmers from heading towards Bathinda’s Lelewala village where a protest was being held regarding alleged inadequate compensation for land acquisition for a gas pipeline project.

Mansa city SHO Daljit Singh and Budhlada SHO Jasbir Singh also sustained injuries before 48 union members were detained, the DIG said. Besides, several activists were taken into preventive custody, while others managed to head towards Bathinda using rural link roads.

Mansa senior superintendent of police (SSP) Bhagirath Singh Meena said that Bhikhi SHO inspector Gurbir Singh was knocked down by a vehicle driven by a BKU activists when they were invited for talks with the authorities. “Gurbir suffered serious injuries in his arms and he underwent a surgery at a hospital in Bathinda. Two first information report (FIRs) have been registered against the union leaders,” the SSP said, while refusing to state the number of union members booked.

Third such incident in a month

This is the third such incident in less than a month when BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan) leaders targeted police personnel. Three cops were injured when a police team reached Bathinda’s Raike Kalan on November 11 to rescue two food inspectors, including a woman, and a naib tehsildar (revenue official) held hostage by the farmer union. The farmers were pressuring the food inspectors to allow paddy buying while overlooking the high-moisture content.

On November 22, union leaders again clashed with the police near Dunewala village in Bathinda, injuring 11 cops. The farmers were trying to forcibly take back land acquired for the Jamnagar-Amritsar expressway project when the clash took place. BKU activists were demanding higher compensation for the land acquired for the project.

Farmers broke barricades before baton charge

“Several other cops also suffered injuries when BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan) activists broke police barricades at Bhikhi, Ramdittewala and Behniwala around midnight on Thursday. The defiant activists were proceeding in vehicles when they were stopped. But they damaged barricades and the police had to baton charge them to bring the mob under control,” the DIG said.

He said the BKU leaders were booked for attempt to murder, causing grievous hurt to a public servant discharging his duty, rioting, besides other charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

The reason behind the clash was alleged inadequate compensation for land acquisition for a gas pipeline project of GSPL India Gasnet Limited, a public sector unit of the Gujarat government, under which natural gas will be supplied from Mehsana (Gujarat) to Jammu and Kashmir. A section of farmers wants higher compensation.

BKU’s counter narrative

Leaders of the BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan) faction took to social media to claim that vehicles were damaged in police action in Mansa and added they were determined to assemble at Lelewala village in Talwandi Sabo sub-division of Bathinda.

Their leaders were heard addressing the followers that convoys crashed several police barricades in Mansa.

State vice-president of the union Jhanda Singh Jethuke said that last year, the district administration and GSPL management had agreed to equally pay ₹24 lakh per acre but now they are backtracking from the commitment.

Bathinda deputy commissioner Showkat Ahmad Parray said that the gas supply project is of national importance and has been pending in Bathinda since 2019 due to protests by the farmer union.

The work by GSPL India Gasnet Limited to lay the 940-km pipeline for supply of natural gas from Mehsana in Gujarat to Bathinda had commenced in 2018 and crossed the 840-km stretch in Gujarat, Rajasthan and Haryana in two years.

“Out of the total 22-kms stretch in Bathinda, work on 1.2 km pipeline is still pending in the district. Compensation was decided and awarded by the company according to rules. The PSU asks dissatisfied farmers to approach arbitrators for their demand of higher compensation but a section of farmers is reluctant,” said the DC.

“As the project was delayed, GSPL India Gasnet Limited approached the high court and in August this year. The court imposed a cost of ₹1 lakh on the Bathinda SSP for failing to stop farmers from obstructing a gas pipeline project in the district. On Wednesday, the work of laying of gas pipeline was started but it was later stopped on the demand of farmers,” the DC said.

The farmer union called off the dharna on Thursday evening after a meeting with the district authorities where it was decided to convene another meeting on December 13 to redress their complaints.

Bathinda SSP Amneet Kondal said that a few union activists detained on Wednesday were freed by the evening and work of laying pipeline was stopped.

“Police authorities of different districts of Malwa region had also prevented the movement of union members. Adequate arrangements were made to maintain law and order in the district,” she added.