Gunny bags shortage: Capt Adviser Bharat Inder Singh Chahal faces protesting farmers’ fury

Fatehgarh Sahib, April 22

Farmers today gheraoed Bharat Inder Singh Chahal, the Adviser to Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, for hours at Roorkee village on the Patiala-Sirhind highway.

Led by Harnek Singh Bhalmajra, district president, Krantikari Kisan Union, farmers had planned to stage a dharna and disrupt traffic on the highway to protest the non-availability of gunny bags and poor arrangements in the grain markets for procurement. On noticing a VIP car with the CM’s Adviser coming from Patiala, farmers intercepted it and started raising slogans against the government.

Chahal talked to the farmers and assured them of arranging gunny bags. However, the farmers continued to argue with him and said they would not allow him to leave until arrangements were made. The Fatehgarh SDM and the DSP rushed to the spot and tried to pacify the agitating farmers. Even the ADC and the SP also rushed to spot to ease the situation, but to no avail.

Bhalmajra said they were forced to protest as the government had failed to make proper arrangements for procurement. He said the protest was the only way out to force the government to provide gunny bags. He said if the situation did not improve they would gherao the CM’s residence also. The gherao of Chahal continued till the filling of the report. — OC