Protesting farmers try to gherao Bikram Majithia’s residence; stopped by cops

Seeking fulfilment of their demands, hundreds of protesting farmers owing to allegiance with different organisations marched toward the residence of Punjab cabinet minister Bikram Singh Majithia to gherao it on Monday. They were however, prevented to do the same from by the cops.

Seeking fulfilment of their demands, hundreds of protesting farmers owing to allegiance with different organisations marched toward the residence of Punjab cabinet minister Bikram Singh Majithia to gherao it on Monday. They were however, prevented to do the same from by the cops.

Policemen blocking the agitated farmers from reaching the residence of cabinet minister Bikram Singh Majithia at Green Avenue in Amritsar on Monday. (Sameer Sehgal/HT Photo)

After the farmers were stopped, around 150 agitators staged a dharna a few metres away from the minister’s residence at Green Avenue locality, thereby blocking the road.

The protest was held under a state-wide programme of conducting ‘gherao’ of all ministers. It was planned by the farmers and labour organisations including Kirti Kisan Union, Pendu Mazdoor Union, Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta-Ugrahan) and Kisan Sangharsh Committee (Kanwalpreet Singh Pannu).

“The state and Central governments’ policies are increasing the burden of debt on farmers. Such situations force the farmers to commit suicides,” said Datar Singh, a farmer leader while addressing the protesters.

He pointed out that there is a total debt of Rs 69 crore on the farmers which can be waived off by the government easily but the latter is not ready to do so. The governments are playing in the hands of corporate companies, he said.

The protesters also targeted the Modi government for scrapping currency notes alleging that the move has pushed farmers and labourers in a dire state. “The step has been taken by the Union government to benefit their corporate friends,” said Harcharan Singh Maddipur, another farmers’ leader.