Bathinda clash: BKU leaders Ugrahan and Jethuke shown yellow card for attacking police

A day after farmers clashed with police during an attempt to forcibly take away land acquired for the Jamnagar-Amritsar expressway project in Bathinda’s Dunewala village, leaders of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan), including its president Joginder Singh Ugrahan and state vice-president Jhanda Singh Jethuke, were convicted of attempted murder and other crimes.

Bathinda Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Amneet Kondal on Saturday said the case was registered on the complaint of Sangat Station House Officer (SHO) Bagh Param Paras Singh Chahal after a mob of activists led by Ugrahan and Jethuke attacked the police when Friday they were prevented from marching towards Dunewala.

She said those identified included union district president Shingara Singh Mann, Ram Singh Bhaini Bagha, Ajay Pal Ghudda and others while over 250 unidentified persons were booked under sections 109 (attempt to murder), 121 (1 (causing grievous hurt to a public servant) discharging his duties), 191 (riots) besides other sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

“No accused has been arrested. A total of 20 protesters were detained before the first information report was registered,” she added.

A total of 11 police officers and several trade union activists were injured in the clashes near Dunewala village.

On November 21, the administration took possession of the 8.5-km stretch of the Jamnagar-Amritsar Expressway, a Greenfield project of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). The farmers’ union protested against the takeover, demanding insufficient compensation for the landowners and threatening to take them by force.

This is the second time this month that the BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan), considered the largest farmers’ union in Punjab, faces police action.

On November 11, police resorted to lathicharge after three government officials were held hostage in Raike Kalan over slow procurement of paddy.

A freak of the farmers’ union as no beneficiary questioned the compensation: DC

Deputy Commissioner Showkat Ahmad Parray said that the land acquisition was carried out in accordance with the regulations and ₹Rs 690 crore was disbursed to farmers for the purchase of a 62.7 km stretch in Bathinda district.

After meeting injured police personnel at the Shaheed Bhai Mani Singh Civil Hospital on Friday evening, Parray said the farmer union’s protest was malicious as no person from whom the land was acquired questioned the compensation.

“The land rates have been fixed as per regulations and the landowners have accepted the compensation. The money has been paid over the last few months. Even then, if a person feels they deserve a higher salary, they can approach the arbitrator in the normal way. The administration invites any person or group of people for interviews. But no one will be able to take the law into their own hands and try to regain possession,” the DC said.

Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) for Bathinda Harcharan Singh Bhullar said the area was in the legal possession of NHAI and it would be illegal to take control of it.

“Trade union leaders and their activists from various districts gathered in Bathinda to disturb law and order. We have a clear message that unruly people will be dealt with severely,” the DIG added.