At Tohana, protesters ‘scuffle’ with police

Parvesh Sharma

Tribune News Service

Sangrur, November 26

Protesting farmers broke two barricades in the district near Khanauri and Moonak despite the announcement by farm organisations to hold peaceful protests.

At Khanauri, the BKU (Ugrahan) started a peaceful protest, but farmers entered Haryana after breaking the Tohana barricade.

After the BKU (Ugrahan) announced that it would not break barricade near Khanauri on the Punjab-Haryana border and protest peacefully, hundreds of farmers, who had come to participate in the protest, lost cool and marched towards the barricade.

The Haryana police used water cannons to prevent them from breaking three layers of barricades, but farmers started pelting cops with stones. After seeing the irate protesters, the cops went back.

“I am not a member of any organisation, but I have come here to support them. Though violence can never be justified, breaking of barricade was necessary. It was important so that our message should reach the Centre,” said Satinder Singh, a farmer.

After breaking the barricade, farmers did not proceed towards Jind, instead they went back towards Khanauri.

On the Tohana border, farmers broke both barricades and also damaged a vehicle of the Haryana police and proceeded towards Narwana. At Tohana, since protesters led by BKU (Sidhupur)were in large numbers, the cops went back.

“Along with other organisations we had decided to stage a peaceful protest near the police barricade, but since locals wanted to break the barricade, our leaders had to support them,” said Jagjit Singh Dallewal, state president, BKU (Sidhupur).