Protesting farmers taken into custody

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, August 14

The ongoing protest of Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta Sidhupur) at Ambedkar Park near the mini-secretariat grew bigger as farmers from neighbouring districts, including Barnala, Faridkot, Muktsar and Fazilka, joined today.

The protesting farmers courted arrest. Around 105 farmers were taken into custody by the police.

They were taken to the Cantonment and Civil Lines police stations.

The remaining farmers started moving towards Multipurpose Sports Stadium where the Independence Day function would be held tomorrow.

The police stopped them near the bus stand and took 250 more farmers into custody.

During the protest, union president Baldev Singh said the farmers of the region had decided not to let Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal enter any village in the district as she had ignored them during her visit to the city.

During the elections, she gave assurances on debt waiver but nothing has happened yet, he added.

Leader Resham Singh said, “We will stage a protest at Multipurpose Sports Stadium. We are ready to face anything, even arrest.”

SSP Naveen Singla said, “We have taken them into custody. We will not let them reach Multipurpose Sports Stadium where the Independence Day celebrations would be held.”