A group of farmers on Friday ransacked the venue of an event organised here by the BJP to mark the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, leaving at least five party workers injured, the police said.
However, some farmers at the venue claimed that anti-social elements and not peasants were behind the incident.
Some people were listening to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address at the venue on Amrik Singh Road when a group of farmers reached there shouting slogans and ransacked the place. They broke chairs and the LED system, the police said.
Women, children and the elderly fled to nearby shops for safety. The police said they rushed to the spot and resorted to mild baton charge to control the situation.
Bathinda BJP chief Vinod Gupta and State BJP legal cell co-convener Ravinder Gupta, among others, sustained minor injuries in the incident.
While some farmers present claimed the ransacking was the handiwork of anti-social elements, the BJP leaders sought police action against them.
An investigation in the matter is underway, the police said.
“Complete anarchy is prevailing in Punjab where law and order is in the hands of goons and the police have become a silent and helpless onlooker,” remarked BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh. He said the Amarinder Singh government has been playing vicious games against the BJP and its complete breakdown of law and order in Punjab.
Saying the BJP workers are “facing threats to their life”, Mr. Chugh urged Punjab Governor V.P. Singh Badnore to take action against the Amarinder government.
