Despite police crackdown, farmers set to launch stir today

Kulwinder Sandhu

Tribune News Service

Moga, September 4

The “pakka morcha” (indefinite protest) of various farmers’ unions of Punjab against the SAD-BJP government will begin in Chandigarh from Monday to press for their long-pending demands.

Even as the state police have launched a massive exercise to arrest senior leaders/activists of the BKU (Ekta) and its allied farmers’ unions, the union’s general secretary has confirmed that they would begin the protest as per the schedule.

He also flayed the state government for arresting their activists.

Police sources said another activist, Buta Singh Jhandewala, was arrested by the Moga police on Sunday. Yesterday, the district police arrested seven activists. They all were sent to judicial custody for 14 days by a local court.

Nirbhai Singh Dhudike, president of the Kirti Kisan Union, said they had given enough time to the state government to fulfill their demands. “Since, the government has not accepted our demands, we will launch an indefinite protest in Chandigarh from Monday and will not allow the state government to function until our demands are met,” he said.

The farmers have for long been demanding the waiver of debt of farmers and farm labourers, compensation to tune of Rs 5 lakh to the family of farm suicide victims, fresh survey to ascertain the actual number of farmer suicides due to debt, government job to a member of the victim’s family and a tube well power connection at the government cost.