Cops thwart farmers’ attempt to reach CM Mann’s function site

Personnel of Punjab Police faced a difficult situation while trying to control a large stream of farmers on the Tarn Taran-Amritsar road here on Saturday. Workers of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC) were proceeding to the venue (the Police Lines), where hi-tech anti-drone system technology-fitted vehicles were to be launched by AAP’s national supremo Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann.

Leaders of the KMSC in a meeting with Tarn Taran Deputy Commissioner Rahul and SSP Deepak Pareek were assured of a meeting with the state government. Government officials were submitted a memorandum, to be further sent to CM Mann, by the KMSC workers. The leaders claimed that the officials assured them that a meeting would be arranged with government officials concerned to discuss their demands.

Satnam Singh Manochahal, district president of the KMSC workers’ union, said the workers had gathered at Gurdwara Gohalwar Baba Achhara here on Friday night to avoid being detained by the police ahead of CM Mann’s visit. He said when hundreds of farmers started marching to the venue of the function, to be attended by AAP supremo Kejriwal and CM Mann, to talk with them regarding the issue of land pooling and other issues, but were stopped by the police. A few moments later, they succeeded in barging through nakas set up by the police.

Again, they were stopped by a large police force on way to the CM Mann’s function spot. They sat on a dharna and condemned the state government’s land pooling policy and other anti-farmer policies of the state government. Ranjodh Singh Gaggo Bua, Harjinder Singh Shakri, Jarnail Singh Noordi and Dial Singh Mianwind were among others who addressed on the occasion.