Farmers protesting against allotment of sugar mill land at Sheron arrested

Farmers protesting against the allotment of Cooperative Sugar Mill land at Sheron (Tarn Taran) to other government departments were arrested by the police today. The number of arrested farmer leaders is said to be 16.

The 34 agitating organisations affiliated to the United Kisan Morcha had been staging a day-night protest since February 23 against the allotment of this land to other departments. A portion of the land has been given to Pungrain for the construction of a godown. As the farmers were protesting today in this regard, the Executive Engineer of the Punjab Mandi Board wrote a letter to the District Magistrate complaining about the obstruction in the construction of a godown by the farmer organisations.

The District Magistrate issued a letter ordering the farmers to leave the spot. The Tehsildar was sent to the spot as the duty magistrate along with police force. As soon as work was started, the farmers' organisations opposed it.

Following this, a heavy police force took the farmers to Naushera Pannua (Sarhali police station) in their vehicles. The farmer leaders, Nachhattar Singh and Gurpreet Singh Gandiwind, said that instead of accepting the demands of the farmers, the government was oppressing them. The farmer leaders said that their struggle will continue until the Cooperative Sugar Mill is re-run

and that they will not allow any other institution to occupy the land of

the Cooperative Sugar Mill at Sheron because the farmers are equal owners of the mill's land. They claimed that 65 per cent of the shares in the mill belong to the farmers.

The arrested farmers were produced before the court of Sub0Divisional magistrate (SDM), Tarn Taran, today. A case has been registered against these leaders. The SDM has ordered to send the farmers' leaders to Central Jail, Goindwal Sahib and put them in judicial custody.

Talks with minister today

On the other hand, Minister Laljit Bhullar has invited the agitating farmers to a meeting with him tomorrow. Confirming the meeting, the leader of farmers' organizations, Balkar Singh Valtoha, said that he has received invitation by the Deputy Commissioner's office and the meeting will be held with Laljit Singh Bhullar at 4 pm tomorrow, Friday, in Patti.

It is being speculated that the minister has taken the arrest of farmer leaders very seriously. The farmers have been staging a strong protest inside the Cooperative Sugar Mill for the past four days. Satnam Singh Manochahal, district president of Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, Punjab, has also condemned the arrest of the farmer leaders and has supported the agitation, calling for a solution.