Farmers protest lathicharge in Patiala, want detainees freed

Hoshiarpur, June 13

Farmers of the area staged a dharna by blocking the Dasuya-Hoshiarpur road. The dharna led by Sukhpal Singh Sahota, president of Ganna Kisan Sangharsh Committee, was held in protest against the lathi-charge and arrest of farmers in Patiala. A large number of police personnel were deployed to persuading the farmers to clear the jam.

Farmers sitting on dharna were adamant on the release of the arrested farmers in Patiala. SHO, Tanda, Onkar Singh Brar spoke to the protestors but the protesting farmers did not relent. They were then taken into custody and evicted to clear the jam. The tents at the protest site were also uprooted by the police. After taking the farmers into custody, the police sent them to Hoshiarpur in a private bus.

Sahota condemned the police lathicharge and arrest of the farmers at Patiala. He said that the efforts of the Punjab government to crush the voice of the farmers with the help of lathis will not be tolerated at any cost. He said that when the Aam Aadmi Party government was formed in state, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had said that people would not have to come out on the streets to demand their rights, but the exact opposite was happening and every section of society was out on the streets to press for the acceptance of their demands.

Sahota said the Punjab government was even taking away the right of the people to protest. Farmers of the area including general secretary Amarjit Singh Mahal, secretary Davinder Singh Chauhan, Kulwant Singh Haled, Master Gurcharan Singh and Malkit Singh Kalra were among those present.