Be patient, Capt urges protesters

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 22

Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh ordered the release of all farmers taken into preventive detention ahead of the farmer unions’ protest in Patiala today.

A three-member committee has been constituted to hear farmers’ grievances and apprise them of the steps taken by his government on the promised crop loan waiver.

The CM directed the DGP and the district authorities to facilitate the release of the farmers, who were resorting to an agitation out of sheer desperation and did not mean to create any law and order problem.

Of the total 377 rounded up, 34 farmers have already been released while 308 are in judicial custody and 35 in police custody.

Urging farmers to be patient, Capt said he had inherited a government with empty coffers but was initiated steps to waive crop loans and a notification would be issued soon.