A group of Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ugrahan) farmers demanding relief for cotton crop damaged by pink bollworm, on Tuesday, 29 March, allegedly held 12 government officials hostage for several hours inside a sub-tehsil office in Muktsar district's Lambi.
The officials, including a naib-tehsildar and patwaris, were freed by police late in the night on Monday, 28 March, as the protesters refused to let them go, news agency PTI quoted an official.
In retaliation, revenue officials on Tuesday, 29 March, went on strike against the incident.
Meanwhile, seven of the BKU (Ugrahan) farmers were allegedly lathi-charged after the police intervened. The police also lodged a First Information Report (FIR) naming around 10 farmers and over a hundred other unidentified people.
The farmers named in the FIR include Gurpal Singh Singhewala, Harpal Singh Killianwali, Bhupinder Singh Channu, Davinder Singh Maan, Kala Singh Sanghewala, Kala Singh Purankhurad, Jagdeep Singh Khuddian, Rampal Singh Gaggar, and Manjinder Singh Sran – all members of BKU (Ugrahan), The Indian Express reported.
In protest against the alleged lathi-charge, farmers have started a pakka dharna outside the tehsil office.
What Has the Police Said?
According to the police, a group of over 100 farmers under the banner of a farm union held a protest outside the sub-tehsil in Lambi on Monday.
After entering the office building in the evening, the protesters held the 12 officials hostage till midnight, police added.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Sandeep Kumar Malik said that though senior police officers and the subdivisional magistrate tried to calm down the protesters, while assuring a meeting with higher officials, the protesters were “adamant” and held the officials hostage until late in the night.
Denying reports of force being used to free the officials, Malik said, "We freed the officials in a restrained and peaceful manner. No force was used. Before moving to free the officials, we requested them (farmers) many times that they can hold their dharna but the government officials performing their duty cannot be taken captive," PTI reported.
He added that an FIR was registered against eight to nine people and some unknown persons, on the basis of a written complaint from the officials.
Deputy commissioner (Muktsar) Harpreet Singh Sudan has said that the farmers had sat on dharna on 7 February as well, but many of them had not submitted necessary documents needed for seeking compensation.
The DC added that they are trying to get the issue resolved and the newly-elected Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is also likely to talk to both, the government employees on strike and the farmers on protest.
'Hardly Any Compensation Till Date': BKU
Gurpal Singh Singhewala, president of BKU (Ugrahan) in Lambi block, has said that despite the large portion of farmland in Muktsar being damaged, hardly any compensation has been given.
Singhewala admitted that on Monday when the farmers protested outside the tehsil office, the tehsildar was not allowed to go home, The Indian Express reported.
However, around 11.30 pm, the police lathi-charged the protesters to let the tehsildar out, and later booked the farmer protestors.
Meanwhile, BKU (Ugrahan) member Harpal Singh Killianwali has sought the FIR to be quashed and said that their "dharna will continue" until their demands are met.
(With inputs from PTI and The Indian Express.)
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