Detained in dark of night: Punjab cops crack down on farmer leaders before Chandigarh stir

BATHINDA: Punjab Police raided houses of farmer leaders across the state in the early hours of Tuesday and detained several of them in a crackdown ahead of the planned protest of Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) in Chandigarh on March 5.The action came after the talks between the Punjab govt and SKM failed on Monday evening, with farmers accusing chief minister Bhagwant Mann of losing his temper and walking out of the meeting midway. The CM, on the other hand, later said that his doors are always open for farmers by harassment and inconvenience to public in the name of agitation should be avoided.While some farmer leaders managed to evade arrest by not returning home, many others were detained from their places at odd hours.Raids — which began after midnight and continued till early hours — were conducted at the residences of farm organisation BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan) president Joginder Singh Ugrahan, vice-president Jhanda Singh Jethuke, BKU (Rajewal) president Balbir Singh Rajewal, BKU (Lakhowal) leader Harinder Singh Lakhowal, Kirti Kisan Union leader Rajinder Singh Deep Singh Wala, farmer leader Jangvir Singh Chohan, Krantikari Kisan Union leaders, BKU (Ekta-Dakaunda), and many others. Rajewal, Jangvir Singh, and many others were detained. Punjab Kisan Union president Ruldu Singh Mansa and Balkaran Singh Balli were detained from Kisan Bhawan in Chandigarh, where they had stayed the night.At some places, farmers confronted the police. At Fatehgarh Chhanna village in Barnala, protesters stopped cops from arresting BKU (Ugrahan) leader Balour Singh Chhana by sitting in front of their vehicle. Members of the Krantikari Kisan Union's Moga unit got Jagtar Mallah released from Baghapurana police station. BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan) said that its Bathinda district-level leader Paramjit Kaur Kotda and Darshan Singh Misaerkhana, who is not keeping well, were taken into custody.Slamming the state govt, BKU (Ugrahan) leader Joginder Singh Ugrahan and Kirti Kisan Union leader Rajinder Singh Deep Singh Wala said, "The repressive attitude of the Punjab govt shows its intention to suppress and silence a democratic protest. Such provocative action was never expected from the CM who did not even have the patience to listen to the entire demands of the farmers and walked out of the meeting,"Farmer leaders, including Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, also condemned the action of the state govt, saying that "snatching the right to demonstrate is undemocratic". Kisan Mazdoor Morcha leader Sarvan Singh Pandher also criticised the police action.Chandigarh protest on, says SKMSanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) strongly protested against the "dictatorial" step by the Bhagwant Mann govt to suppress the democratic rights of farmers for a peaceful protest, declaring that they would continue with their protest in Chandigarh. "Instead of putting pressure on the Centre to resolve the ongoing struggle of farmers by convening discussions with all the farmer organisations, adhering to the disgraceful path of unleashing police in houses at midnight to suppress and threaten the farmer leaders is politically wrong and highly unfortunate," the SKM said, demanding the immediate release of all the farmer leaders in police custody. The SKM further said that the CM should realise that treating protests by various sections of the people as criminal acts undermines the constitutional spirit of the country and damages the time-tested democracy. The SKM also declared that they would hold their protest in Chandigarh as planned, urging farmers from across the state to join the week-long stir and organise campaigns in the villages to expose the fearful and anti-farmer police action.