Farmers stage sit-in in Fatehgarh Sahib, demand release of arrested union leaders

The farmers belonging to Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU, Ekta Sidhupur) today began a dharna outside the Deputy Commissioner office, seeking the release of its leaders who were arrested while they were on their way to meet the Bassi Pathana MLA Rupinder Singh Happy.

The leaders planned to speak to the MLA, who was addressing a “War on Drugs” meeting in Abdullapur village, about him not raising his voice against the state government’s land pooling scheme despite promising to do so.

Addressing the gathering, Kaka Singh Kotra, Union General Secretary of the said, “A few days ago, a delegation of BKU leaders had called upon the MLA Bassi Pathana Rupinder Singh Happy. It urged him to oppose the land pooling policy of the state government during the special Assembly session and he had promised to raise his voice and to oppose him but did not utter a word in this regard.”

Kotra said the MLA was holding a meeting in Abdullapur in connection with the “War Against Drugs”. The BKU leaders, according to him, simply wanted to question him on not raising the issue but were instead detained by the police on the way and put in jail.

The leader said the Union would continue the dharna till all leaders are not released.