Mansa November 16:
On a call given by a joint delegation of 17 unions, hundreds of farmers and farm workers launched their pre-announced three-day stir outside the DC office here.
They have been demanding the arrest of all accused, including a Naib Tehsildar, who were booked in the Beero Ke firing incident on October 11 for killing a farmer leader. Taking a preventive measure, a large number of policemen, including SPs and DSPs, have been put on duty to keep an eye on the protesters throughout the agitation period.
On the other hand, not bothering about police arrangements, the protesters kept raising “anti-establishment” slogans and allegations flowed thick and fast. The arrangement for langar was also made near the stage. The blare of loudspeakers kept irritating the staff of the district administration complex. The protesters said: “The noisy affair will continue till midnight to irritate senior officials,” adding that, they had launched the agitations at three different places-Jalandhar, Tarn Taran and Mansa.
Though the other demands related to Taran Taran and Jalandhar farmers and farm workers had been accepted with the announcement of the stir, they are staging protest to demand the arrest of all accused of the Beero Ke (Mansa) firing incident, the protesters said. Speaking from the stage about the Beero Ke firing incident, the agitators alleged that a farmer, Bhola Singh of Beero Ke Khurd village, owed nearly Rs 3 lakh to a commission agent, Ram Krishan of Budhladha.
Finding him unable to repay the debt, the commission agent got orders of taking his 10-kanal land in legal possession. However, facing the protest of the BKU activists, they all had to return empty handed. However, within a few minutes, they again returned along with Naib Tehsildar Budhlada Subhash Mittal and started firing indiscriminately and killed senior vice-president of the BKU (Ekta-Dakounda), Pirthi Pal Singh (35) of Chak Ali Sher village, they alleged.
They said a case was lodged in this regard against six persons, including the Naib Tehsildar, but the police failed to arrest the official and the son of the accused arhtiya. They further alleged that to build pressure on the police not to arrest the Naib Tehsildar about a few days ago, revenue officials kept the whole administrative work suspended. “Irked over the development, we had to launch the protest,” they added.
Jalandhar: Members of 17 farmers and workers’ organisations launched a three-day demonstration in front of the DC office here today to press the government to arrest the accused involved in the murder of a farmer in Mansa district a few weeks ago. Pendu Mazdoor Union chief Tarsem Peter said if the government failed to fulfil their demand, the future course of the agitation would be decided at a meeting of all 17 organisations on November 19.
Mansa: A 45-year-old farmer Sadhu Singh of village Gehal in Barnala died on the first day of the dharna by farmer unions and farm labourers in Mansa, late this evening. Sources informed that the farmer was eating at the langar when due to coughing, food entered his wind pipe and his condition deteriorated. His colleagues rushed him to the Civil Hospital in Mansa where he died. The deceased is survived by two sons. He was a marginal farmer having a chunk of about three acres of land in his native village.
On a call given by a joint delegation of 17 unions, hundreds of farmers and farm workers launched their pre-announced three-day stir outside the DC office here.
They have been demanding the arrest of all accused, including a Naib Tehsildar, who were booked in the Beero Ke firing incident on October 11 for killing a farmer leader. Taking a preventive measure, a large number of policemen, including SPs and DSPs, have been put on duty to keep an eye on the protesters throughout the agitation period.
On the other hand, not bothering about police arrangements, the protesters kept raising “anti-establishment” slogans and allegations flowed thick and fast. The arrangement for langar was also made near the stage. The blare of loudspeakers kept irritating the staff of the district administration complex. The protesters said: “The noisy affair will continue till midnight to irritate senior officials,” adding that, they had launched the agitations at three different places-Jalandhar, Tarn Taran and Mansa.
Though the other demands related to Taran Taran and Jalandhar farmers and farm workers had been accepted with the announcement of the stir, they are staging protest to demand the arrest of all accused of the Beero Ke (Mansa) firing incident, the protesters said. Speaking from the stage about the Beero Ke firing incident, the agitators alleged that a farmer, Bhola Singh of Beero Ke Khurd village, owed nearly Rs 3 lakh to a commission agent, Ram Krishan of Budhladha.
Finding him unable to repay the debt, the commission agent got orders of taking his 10-kanal land in legal possession. However, facing the protest of the BKU activists, they all had to return empty handed. However, within a few minutes, they again returned along with Naib Tehsildar Budhlada Subhash Mittal and started firing indiscriminately and killed senior vice-president of the BKU (Ekta-Dakounda), Pirthi Pal Singh (35) of Chak Ali Sher village, they alleged.
They said a case was lodged in this regard against six persons, including the Naib Tehsildar, but the police failed to arrest the official and the son of the accused arhtiya. They further alleged that to build pressure on the police not to arrest the Naib Tehsildar about a few days ago, revenue officials kept the whole administrative work suspended. “Irked over the development, we had to launch the protest,” they added.
Jalandhar: Members of 17 farmers and workers’ organisations launched a three-day demonstration in front of the DC office here today to press the government to arrest the accused involved in the murder of a farmer in Mansa district a few weeks ago. Pendu Mazdoor Union chief Tarsem Peter said if the government failed to fulfil their demand, the future course of the agitation would be decided at a meeting of all 17 organisations on November 19.
Mansa: A 45-year-old farmer Sadhu Singh of village Gehal in Barnala died on the first day of the dharna by farmer unions and farm labourers in Mansa, late this evening. Sources informed that the farmer was eating at the langar when due to coughing, food entered his wind pipe and his condition deteriorated. His colleagues rushed him to the Civil Hospital in Mansa where he died. The deceased is survived by two sons. He was a marginal farmer having a chunk of about three acres of land in his native village.
