Farmers on way to Amit Shah’s rally stopped by cops on Ludhiana-Jalandhar highway

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, May 26

Members of various farmer organisations going to Amit Shah’s rally venue were stopped by the police on the way on the Ludhiana-Jalandhar highway near Tiger Safari on Sunday. Since the police did not let them reach outside the venue, the farmers started sit-in on the slip road of the highway, about three km away from the venue. About 100 farmers took part in the protest.

As per information, around 2 pm when farmers in several vehicles were on the way to the venue, police officials, led by the senior police officials, reached the spot and stopped them on the way. The police also erected barricades on the highway to stop the farmers.

Dilbag Singh, president, Bhartiya Kisan Mazdoor Union, said since the police did not let them go outside the BJP rally venue, they held a protest on the slip road for over two hours. They had planned the protest to ask many questions to Home Minister Amit Shah. After holding the protest and raising slogans against the Shah, they decided to lift the same.

“I was also detained by the Ludhiana police at my house last night as the police got information about our agitation plan and for the whole night I was not allowed to move out of my house. This morning, when they left my house, I, with other members of the union, started moving towards the venue,” Singh said.

Meanwhile, BKU, Ladhowal union, also held a peaceful protest at the Kohara chowk against the BJP. Farmer leader Harjinder Singh Lakhowal said: Our union leader Avtar Singh Mehlon was taken into house arrest by police this morning. They also conducted a raid at my house but I was not available there. Later, we all gathered and marched towards the rally but the police stopped us on the way,” he said.

Commissioner of Police, Ludhiana, Nilabh Kishore, had also reached the protest site when other senior police officials were holding negotiations with the farmers for lifting the protest. The CP said farmers had agreed to lift the protest after talks with the police. “Besides the protest, there are some other protests held by the farmers in Ludhiana but same were lifted after sometime. There was also no hurdle to the routine traffic during the farmers protest,” Kishore said.

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