BKU slams government for booking protesters

BATHINDA: Farmers' body BKU Ugrahan has slammed the SAD government for "trying to suppress the voice of protesters" demanding compensation for suicide-hit farm families. The organization has accused the state government of victimizing farmer and labourers by registering registered case against 150.
Holding a protest outside the district administrative complex, while seeking compensation for the families of farmers and farm labourers who had committed suicide, have proved dear to the agitators.Police have registered a case against farmer leaders Motha Singh, Shingara Singh Mann and labourer leader Jora Singh Nasrali, along with 150 unidentified persons, for obstructing public way.
On the other hand, the farmers and activists claim that they had not disrupted the traffic but had protested in a small park outside district complex. BKU Ugrahan district president Shingara Singh Mann and Punjab khet mazdoor union state president Jora Singh Nasrali had came out of jail only last month after spending more than three months in another farmers-protest related case.
More than two hundred farmers and labourers, including about a hundred women, had assembled outside the district administrative complex on Monday. They had also released details of 99 farmers and labourers of Bathinda district, who had ended their life between April 1, 2013, and September 30, 2014.
"Though the police organized a meeting of protesters with additional deputy commissioner Sumit Kumar, who had assured to look into the cases in couple of days, but civil lines police registered case against the three leaders and 150 unidentified persons under section 283 of IPC (obstruction in public way). By doing so the state government again has showcased its true anti-farmer face and we will never tolerate it and will protest," said BKU Ugrahan general secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokri.
Khet mazdoor union general secretary Lachman Singh Sewewala said that the state government had failed in keeping its word on providing compensation to the affected families. "Now was tried to crush our voice when we demanded compensation. It is like murder of democracy," he added.
Investigating officer Ranjodh Singh said that police had registered case only for obstructing public way against three persons by name and 150 unknown persons.