Thieves strike at protest sites

The farmers who protested at Punjab’s Shambhu and Khanauri borders with Haryana are facing problems in claiming their belongings left at the agitation spots during the police crackdown on March 19 as several items have been stolen by thieves.

According to leaders of the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, who held a meeting on Saturday, thieves have decamped with laptops, Wi-Fi routers, refrigerators, air-conditioners, coolers, and inverters. Farmers, with the help of the police, recovered three trolleys from Lohsimbli, where these were found parked in a workshop.

Ghanaur DSP Harmanpreet Singh said, “A police team received information about some trollies found parked at Lohsimbli village. Upon this, the police team reached the spot and recovered the trollies. A case has been registered against Tinku of Lohsimbli.”

DIG Mandeep Singh Sidhu said nearly 50% of tractor-trailer left at the protest spots had already been handed over to farmers after verifying their credentials.

Meanwhile, a high drama was witnessed at Kutha Kheri village in Ghanaur when some farmers traced a trolley stolen from a protest site.