Farmers on way to protest site clash with police in Punjab’s Mansa, 3 SHOs seriously injured

The first clash took place in the Bhikhi area of Mansa, where Gurvir Singh, SHO of the Bhikhi police station, tried to stop the convoy. “The SHO just asked them where the convoy was going, but they tried to run over him and moved ahead, breaking the police barricades. Both his arms were fractured and he was admitted to a hospital in Bathinda. He needs to be operated now,” said Mansa SP investigation Manmohan Singh Aulakh.

“The next confrontation took place in the Ramdittewala village, where Jasvir Singh, the SHO of the Budhlada police station, sustained a head injury after a farmer struck him with a lathi. Additionally, Daljit Singh, the SHO of Mansa City 2, suffered a wrist fracture and an ankle injury. We are investigating the incident and will file an FIR in accordance with the law,” added Aulakh.

Meanwhile, farmers alleged that the police used lathi charges to disperse them and attempted to stop their convoy from reaching Bathinda. However, the SSP denied these claims and said, “Our officers were only trying to enquire about the convoy’s destination. The farmers left some of their vehicles at Ramdittewala and continued ahead. No one has been detained.”

A few union leaders were under house arrest till Thursday evening and all others reached the Lelewala protest site.

Shingara Singh Mann, state vice president of BKU Ugrahan, said, “Several police checkposts were established in various Malwa districts to restrict farmers from entering Bathinda. At one of these checkpoints, the police used force against the farmers, resulting in the arrest of many. The police are now claiming that they also sustained injuries during the incident. The police damaged 15 to 20 vehicles by breaking window panes with canes. Jaswinder Singh Brass and nearly 20 others were detained, but many farmers still managed to reach the Lelewala village.”

He added, “Nearly 17 farmer leaders were detained by the Bathinda police as well. Earlier, the police detained a few others on Wednesday morning and released them at night. More have been detained now.”

On the contentious gas pipeline project, he said, “A Gujarat company is laying a gas pipeline in the area, and it is passing through many villages. Our demand is to give us compensation at the rate of Rs 24 lakh per acre. We have no issues with pipeline laying. They had agreed to this compensation amount, but now they are again in a hurry to lay the pipeline without awarding the compensation first.”

Jagtar Singh Kalajhar, a BKU Ugrahan leader who was in the convoy, said, “While our buses were on the way from Sangrur to Bathinda via Mansa, we were stopped at many police checkpoints, the police threw bricks on our buses to break the window panes, they damaged the buses, hit us with lathis, and now they are claiming that they got injured. Despite all the hurdles, we reached the Lelewala village at 3 am on Thursday. Police action against farmers shows the double-speak of the Bhagwant Mann government. When someone protests against them, the police can charge them, and otherwise, he tries to become an advocate for farmers. This will not work.”

Harjinder Singh Baggi, Bathinda district general secretary of BKU Ugrahan, said, “A written agreement was made on May 15, 2023, in a meeting chaired by the deputy commissioner of Bathinda. It was agreed that no work on the pipeline would commence until all farmers were compensated Rs 24 lakh per acre. They even uprooted standing wheat crops with bulldozers. Protesters were arrested, and the belongings of the 1.5-year-old protest camp at Lelewala were confiscated. Items seized included two tractors, a fridge, coolers, about a dozen motorcycles, mobile phones of 19 farmers, ration, cylinders, and cooking equipment.”

Bathinda SSP Amneet Kaur Kondal said, “We detained 18-19 farmers Wednesday morning and released them in the evening. Sufficient force and anti-riot equipment have been arranged at the site, but we are open to dialogue and negotiations.” Meanwhile a meeting took place on Thursday evening between union leaders and Bathinda administration in which it was decided to halt the gas pipeline laying work till December 13. The farmers demanded compensation for their damaged vehicles, cancellation of police case in Mansa and release of all confiscated material of farmers. Sources revealed that administration assured about compensation and release of detained farmers but they were tight lipped about police case.

Meanwhile, farmers ended their dharna for the time being and stated that the next plan of action will be announced afterwards.