Fatehabad farmers protest court ordered land auction, Naib Tehsildar briefly held ‘captive

Farmers at Narel village in Fatehabad district protested on Wednesday against a court order to auction a local farmer’s land. Hundreds of farmers, led by the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan), staged a demonstration and raised slogans against the government and administration.

During the protest, Naib Tehsildar Rashvinder Singh was briefly held ‘captive’ by farmers for about 90 minutes before the police arrived and safely released him.

According to BKU district secretary Nirbhay Ratia, the farmer had borrowed around Rs 7 lakh from a local trader in Jakhal Mandi. The loan amount had grown to nearly Rs 27 lakh due to interest. To recover the debt, the court ordered the auction of the farmer’s land, valued at approximately Rs 4 crore. The farmers called the order unfair and said it was an injustice to small farmers.

State general secretary Ajay Sidhani accused the local traders and moneylenders of exploiting the farmers and labourers. He alleged that signed checkbooks had been misused and accused the government and police of failing to prevent such practices. He added that the union was willing to find solutions at the village level but would not tolerate forced actions against the farmers.

The protest lasted from 10 am to 5 pm. The union leaders raised slogans and said, like Punjab, they were launching a movement in Haryana against land seizures and auctions. They warned that the struggle would continue to secure economic freedom for the farmers and labourers.

The local trader, Jagdish Rai, said he had filed a petition in court to recover the outstanding loan, and the auction process was being carried out according to the court’s order. “The court’s decision is final and must be followed,” he said.

Naib Tehsildar Rashvinder Singh clarified that no actual auction took place on Wednesday. He held a meeting with the village leaders at the panchayat office and said the administration was monitoring the situation closely.