12 injured in farmers’ protest

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 14

Around a dozen members of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee were injured after the UT police used water cannons to stop them from entering the city during a protest here today.

Hundreds of protestors had decided to march towards Punjab Raj Bhawan over their long-pending demands. The protestors from various parts of Punjab gathered at a gurdwara in Phase 8, Mohali. In the afternoon, they started marching towards Chandigarh. However, they were stopped at the YPS Chowk on Chandigarh-Mohali border. The UT police had already barricaded the roads to stop the agitators from entering the city.

Later, when the protesters started pushing the barricades and tried to scale those, the police used water cannons that left several injured. The injured were rushed to the GMCH-32 for treatment. Some of the injured were identified as Bakshish Singh, Resham Singh, Jaswinder Singh, Surinder Singh, Mandeep Singh. All the injured were later discharged after the treatment.

Sources said the agitated members of the committee also staged a ‘dharna’ outside the hospital to express their resentment.

Demand loan waiver

The union leaders condemned the policies of the Modi government. Besides demanding loan waiver and implementation of the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations, they were also opposing the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement under which the government was planning to initiate tax-free agri trade with 16 countries. A woman constable, Sarabjeet Kaur, also fractured her arm during the protest.