Were tortured by Delhi and Haryana police, farmers tell Punjab House committee

Moga, June 3

A Punjab Vidhan Sabha Committee recently constituted to look into the alleged atrocities committed on farmers of Punjab by the Delhi and Haryana police forces during the ongoing agitation against the Union Government’s three farm laws held its maiden meeting in Moga on Thursday. It met the farmers who were either injured or allegedly tortured by the security forces.

The committee headed by Congress MLA Kuldeep Singh Vaid along with members Kulbir Singh Zira (Congress), Saravjit Kaur Manuke (AAP) and Harinder Pal Singh Chandumajra (SAD) recorded the statements of at least 15 farmers who suffered injuries and allegedly faced police brutality during the farm protests.

One of the committee members, Fateh Jung Singh Bajwa, was not present in the meeting. He was said to be in Delhi to meet the three-member panel of the Congress high command. Vaid said Vidhan Sabha Speaker Rana KP Singh had constituted the committee comprising MLAs from all parties to table a detailed report about atrocities on the farmers during the ongoing protests. No BJP legislator has been included in the committee.

Amritpal Singh and Jagdeep Singh, both farmers of Tatarewala village, said they, along with 10 other youths of their village, went to Delhi on January 23 to participate in the Republic Day protest against the Union Government, but were detained by the Delhi Police on January 26. After a hue and cry was made by the state government, the Delhi Police announced they were arrested in connection with the violence. Gurpreet Singh, Daljinder Singh, Jagdish Singh, Navdeep Singh, Balvir Singh, Bhag Singh, Harjinder Singh, Ranjit Singh, Ramandeep Singh and Jaswant Singh, all residents of the same village, claimed they were arrested and tortured by the Delhi Police.

Another farmer, Sukhpreet Singh, a resident of Badduwal village, told the committee that he was taken into custody by the Delhi Police from the Kundli border. He was taken to the Kalyanpuri police station and tortured for days. — TNS