Punjab Police action before protest in Chandigarh, many farmer leaders were taken into custody, many under house arrest

The leaders of the United Kisan Morcha (SKM) claimed that the Punjab Police ‘raided’ the residence of several farmer leaders and took them into custody early Tuesday before their call for protests in Chandigarh. Many leaders have also been under house arrest. Many farmer leaders have gone underground due to the possibility of police action. At present, there is no immediate response from the police regarding these claims.

Before the Chandigarh dharna, the police arrived at the house of Joginder Singh Ugrahan, president of the Indian Farmers Union Ugrahan, but Ugraha was not present at the house. Along with this, police have reached the house of many farmer leaders in Barnala district. Kirati Kisan Union block leader Daljinder Singh Hariu has been arrested by the police. Farmer leader Kulwant Singh has been under house arrest in village Maulviwala of police station Pataan. Kulwant Maulviwala is the state vice president of Kul Hind Kisan Sabha. Kul Hind Kisan Sabha is an important part of the United Kisan Morcha. Around a dozen farmers have been detained by raiding the farmers’ homes in Mansa at night.

Harinder Singh Lakhowal, general secretary of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Lakhoval), claimed that the Punjab Police ‘raided’ the houses of SKM leaders in the morning. Lakhowal said, “With such actions, the government cannot suppress the voice of farmers.” He said, “We are fighting in support of various demands of the farmers.” He said that policemen are also deployed at their residence. Lakhowal called upon the farmers to reach Chandigarh in large numbers. SKM (Rajewal) vice -president Mukesh Chandra Sharma claimed, “The police raided my residence at four in the morning.” He condemned the police action.

Farmer leaders said that this action of the police took place a day after the meeting between Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and SKM leaders failed. The talks between the Punjab government and the SKM leaders on Monday broke in the middle to discuss the demands of the farmers, the farmer leaders claimed that the ‘angry’ Mann ‘went out of the meeting without any provocation’. However, Mann had said that their doors are always open to interact with the farmers, but in the name of movement, the public should be avoided from inconvenience and harassment.

The SKM has called for a sit -in in Chandigarh for a week from March 5 in support of its various demands. The SKM had now led the 2020 movement against the three agricultural laws that have been canceled. It is demanding withdrawing the draft of the National Policy Film of Agricultural Marketing, the Legal Guarantee of the Minimum Support Price (MSP), implementing the state’s agricultural policy, and the purchase of six crops on the MSP by the state government.