2,000 gather at Ropar farm event sans approval

Tribune News Service

Ropar, May 1

Amid weekend lockdown, the Ropar Kirti Kisan Morcha today organised ‘Mazdoor Kisan Ekta’ conference at Chahar Mazara village here. When the police yesterday tried to remove tents pitched for the event, participants, majority of them women, resisted and sat there through the night.

More than 2,000 people reached the venue this morning to take part in the event, in which folk singers also performed. Farmer leaders Gurnam Singh Chaduni, Ruldu Singh Mansa and Nirbhay Singh Dhudike addressed the conference, which lasted five hours.

Ropar SSP Akhil Chaudhary said no permission was sought from the police to organise the conference. Bir Singh Barwa, Tarsem Singh Jatpur, Rupinder Sandoa, Ranvir Randhawa, Hardeep Kaur, Harpreet Kahlon, Ram Kumar Mukari, Sucha Singh Kalma and singer Pamma Dumewal, along with some unidentified persons, have been booked under the Disaster Management Act.

However, no Samyukt Kisan Morcha leader who addressed the gathering has been named in the FIR.

Lashing out at the central government, Chaduni said it was following anti-farmer policies. “The attempts to suppress the protesting farmers will not succeed. We will not end the agitation till all our demands are met,” he said.

Ruldu Singh said besides farmers, the Centre was trying to suppress labourers too. He said the new labour laws would ruin the labour class of the country. “They will be asked to work round the clock by their employers,” he said.

When asked about such a large gathering during the Covid-19 crisis, the organisers said they were ready to face the consequences. Punjab Students’ Union president Ranvir Randhawa said the future of labourers and farmers was in jeopardy due to new laws.

AAP leader Dinesh Chadha, questioning the district police, said their officials failed to act against leaders of the ruling party during the installation ceremonies of civic bodies’ presidents. “The same authorities are now harassing farmers for coming together and raising their genuine concerns,” he added.

None from SKM named in FIR

• Ropar SSP Akhil Chaudhary said no permission was sought from the police to organise the conference
• None of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha leaders who addressed the event has been named in the FIR