Commission agents, farmers’ stir enters Day 4

Tribune News Service

BATHINDA, AUGUST 13

Separate protests by the Commission agents and the farmers Unions have entered the fourth day in Rampura Phul here today. They have been protesting against the suicide by a farmer, Tek Singh, a resident of Jiyond village.

Both groups have been seeking the fulfilment of their own demands during the protests and have become a cause for concern for the police and the civil administration.

Today, a state-level meeting of the Arhtiyas’ Association, Punjab, took place at Rampura Phul, where state president Vijay Kalra reached the spot and after a long discussion with the association they formed a 21-member committee.

After a meeting of commission agents, they held a rally from Dharmshala to Rampura City police station and after that they started a protest and raised slogans against the Punjab Police.

During the protest of commission agents, Vijay Kalra said the police had left us with no option and we would do anything under democracy for the dismissal of fake cases against commission agent Suresh Bahia. “We will stage a state-level protest in Rampura on August 15 and tomorrow we will block the Bathinda-Chandigarh Highway,” he said. He gave an ultimatum to the police.

On the other hand, the farmer unions along with people of Jiyond village staged a protest near the Jethuke drain and blocked the Bathinda-Chandigarh Highway.

During the farmers’ protest, Sukhdev Singh Javanda, a leader of the BKU (Ugrahan), said the police had been accused of inaction and not giving a copy of suicide note, which was found from the pocket of farmer Tek Singh, to them. He said that Tek Singh had held the CM responsible for his death, which had been mentioned in his four-page suicide note.

The farmers unions announced that if the police did not arrest accused Suresh Bahia and compensation was not given to the bereaved family, they would be forced to celebrate Independence Day with black flags. They also demanded a copy of the suicide note.

A heavy police force had been deployed throughout the day.