Bathinda farmers protesting against BJP candidate Parampal Maluka lathicharged

Bathinda, May 12

Tension mounted today as the police had to use mild force against farm activists, who were protesting against the BJP candidate near its meeting venue in the district. The police tried to disperse the farmers, but they continued to raise slogans.

Around 9.30 am, BJP candidate Parampal Kaur Maluka and BJP district president Sarup Chand Singla had reached a community centre at Sivian village. Activists of the BKU Ugrahan and Khet Mazdoor Union gathered there.

Farmer leader Harpreet Singh Dina Sivian, Neeta Singh, Gurjit Sharma Mahima Sarkari, Sukhjeevan Singh Babli and Khet Mazdoor Union leaders Mandeep Singh and Tarsem Singh started raising slogans against the BJP. The farmers did not stop here but continued raising slogans by climbing on the houses near the programme venue.

Seeing the tense situation, the police pulled the wires of the speaker’s microphones attached to their vehicles. A fight was also taken place between the police and the farmers.

Leaders of the farmers’ organisation continued to raise slogans against the BJP candidate and the Modi government.

In the second incident, Gurpreet Singh Maluka, husband of candidate Parampal Kaur Maluka reached village Faridkot-Kotli in the Bathinda rural area. A large number of police were deployed and barricading was done in front of the village.

As the matter came to the notice of union leaders, BKU’s Kulwant Rai Sharma, Ajaypal Ghuda, Binder Singh and Ekbal Singh; and Youth Bharat Sabha’s Jaskaran Singh and other leaders gathered and tried to break the police barricades. Farmer leader Ajaypal Singh Ghuda and his companions were detained by the police.

Ghuda said they had banned the BJP candidates from entering the village, but the police using force to push the farmers.

District president of the BKU Ugrahan and state secretary Shingara Singh Maan condemned the police action.

In Anandpur Sahib, farmers staged a protest at a programme organised by local BJP leaders. The farmers alleged that the BJP had not fulfilled its promises of the MSP made during farm stir that concluded in 2021 at the Delhi border.