Agriculture officials protest police ‘inaction’

Tribune News Service
Ludhiana, June 16

Officials of the Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, led by Dr Narinder Singh Benipal, convener of AGTAC-cum-Chief Agriculture Officer of Ludhiana, today staged a protest and condemned the recent attack on agriculture technocrats of Ludhiana at a village.

They demanded immediate arrest of the culprits, including a farmer, who attacked Dr Husandeep Singh Brar and Dr Nidhi Choudhary while they were performing duty in the village of Bonkar Gujjran of Mangat Block on June 8.

The officials said eight days had passed but the culprits had not been arrested despite the assurance of the Deputy Commissioner and the Commissioner of Police.

On June 8, a team of the Agriculture Department, led by Dr Husandeep Singh Brar, went to stop a farmer who was violating the Punjab Preservation of Subsoil Act 2009 by sowing paddy before the stipulated date. They were attacked by the farmer.

Dr Jaswinder Singh, president of Plant Doctors Services Association, Ludhiana, said the agriculture technocrats were fully committed to providing excellent agriculture extension services to the farmers of Punjab. Incidents like this raise serious concern about the safety of agricultural officials, especially women officers, while performing their duties in the field, he said.

Dr Narinder Singh Benipal, convener of Agriculture Technocrats Sangharsh Committee, said the role of agriculture extension specialists was no different from health and police officials during the Covid times, and the attack on the agricultural officials not only demoralised the agriculture technocrats but also all government employees.

He said they would leave no stone unturned for bringing justice to the victims. He said they would intensify their agitation if there was further delay in the arrest of the culprits.

The other speakers, including Dr Rajinderpal Singh Aulakh, Dr Harminder Singh, Dr Jatinderpal Singh, Dr Nirmal Singh and Dr Sandeep, condemned the delay in arrest of the culprits.