Farmers move protest to Lehra Dhurkot

Tribune News Service

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Bathinda, May 11

Not giving in to the repeated offers being made by the district administration pertaining to Rs 5 lakh compensation to the family of the farmer who had died during a labour rally, the deceased’s family supported by members of the Bharatiya Kisan Union Ekta Ugrahan today moved the protest against the state government from the Bathinda city to Lehra Dhurkot village and blocked the main link road.

To make farmers end their protest, Bathinda Tehsildar Lakhwinder Singh and SP(D) Balraj Singh reached the venue and tried to pacify farmers by offering them Rs 5 lakh as compensation and assuring them that the remaining Rs 5 lakh compensation would also be released as soon as the government gives its nod. The farmers, however, turned down the offer once again.

Notably, 60-year-old Mukhtiar Singh had passed away near Arya Samaj Chowk during a Labour Day rally in the city on May 1. Demanding compensation worth Rs 10 lakh, debt waiver and government job as per capability of the farmer’s son, the family and farmer union had refused to allow autopsy to be conducted on the body.

“The state government is ignoring our demands and we had announced that if the government continued with its nonchalant attitude towards our demands, we would intensify our stir. Unlike the day-long protests that we had observed earlier, this protest at Lehra Dhurkot village, to which Mukhtiar Singh belonged, will be held through nights as well. If the state government is taking our demands lightly, we will show the strength of unity in the farmer community by continuing our protest till the time the government releases the compensation amount in one go,” said Shingara Singh Mann, district president of the union.

Although it’s been 11 days since the farmer passed away, his body has been lying in the mortuary of the Civil Hospital, since the family is adamant that it would not conduct last rites of the body till the time their demands are not met.

The farmers had on Wednesday evening blocked the Bathinda-Mansa flyover by sitting on protest on both sides of the road at the ITI Chowk.