Farmers protest in Bathinda

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, May 19

Farmers led by the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) staged a protest outside the Rampura Phul Primary Cooperative Agricultural Development Bank over registration of cheque bounce cases against them on Saturday.

During the protest, the farmers raised slogans against the state government and bank authorities for “harassing and pressurising” them.

Sukhdev Singh, block president, BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) said some of the farmers had failed to return their loans and the bank was issuing warrants against them through the courts.

He said farmer Karamjit Singh, a resident of Nandgarh Kotla village, had taken a loan of Rs 2.24 lakh nine years back and earlier this year, he received a notice of an outstanding amount of Rs 4.35 lakh. He was arrested 20 days ago.

Another farmer Kewal Singh, a resident of Jhanduke village, had taken a loan of Rs 5 lakh and a case was going on in the court.

The union leaders announced holding a protest outside the cooperative central banks in all districts across the state on May 28.

Geetika Mani, district manager, Bathinda Cooperative Central Bank, said, "Farmers are wrongly staging a protest and manipulating the issues. These farmers have taken non- agricultural loans and there are no guidelines from the RBI and state government to not recover such loans. No notice has been issued to the farmers who have taken agricultural loans."