Farmers in Ropar protest against Congress leaders Navjot Sidhu, Charanjit Singh Channi

PATIALA: A day after Ropar police had booked over 50 farmers including union leaders and a village Sarpanch under various sections of IPC for allegedly assaulting Congress workers and trying to stop congress leaders Charanjit Singh Channi and Navjot Singh Sidhu in Chamkaur Sahib, a number of farmers on Monday held protest against them.
The farmers protested at Solkhian Toll Plaza in Ropar and claimed that the Congress leaders were dual faced as on one hand they pretend themselves as farmers’ supporters whereas on the other hand they were falsely implicating the farmers in false cases to further derail the agitation.
Notably, some farmers under various unions on Saturday held a protest against the newly elected PPCC Chief Navjot Singh Sidhu over his statement in context of farmers and said that "thirsty comes to the well and the well do not goes to the thirsty".
The farmers on Saturday protested against Sidhu by waiving black flags near Katalgarh Sahib Gurudwara in Chamkaur Sahib of Ropar district where he along with Channi had reached to pay obeisance.
However, the police in Chamkaur Sahib later booked three leaders of Kirti Kisan Morcha Ropar including its district president Jagmandeep Singh and block president Kulwant Singh Saini; Jagdeep Kaur, and Behrampur Jimidaran village Sarpanch Satnam Singh Sohi along with 45 unidentified persons under section 283 (Act causing danger, obstruction or injury to public line of navigation), 341 (wrongful restraint), 323 (voluntary causing hurt), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon) and 149 of IPC on the complaint of a cop Dharampal.
"The complainant police official in the FIR had claimed that protesting farmers had first blocked the traffic near Gurudwara Sahib in Chamkaur Sahib and later assaulted Congress workers and also tried to stop cabinet minister Charanjit Singh Channi and PPCC Chief Navjot Singh Sidhu in an unauthorized manner. This clearly shows that case has been registered under political pressure of Congress leaders especially Channi. Even, none of the farmer had took to any violence but the ruling party leaders blamed farmers for assaulting party workers via complainant police official", said Jagmandeep Singh, farmer leader who has been named in the FIR.
He added, "We held protest at Solkhiyan Toll Plaza on Monday for over three hours against both Navjot Singh Sidhu and Charanjit Channi and lifted up the protest after senior police officials assured us to get cancelled the FIR. The farmers will definitely show them the way whenever they will come into the villages to demand votes".
Sarpanch Satnam Singh Sohi who is also named in the FIR said, "I am the only one in Chamkaur Sahib named in the FIR. We had only waived black flags against Sidhu who had mocked on the farmers on his installation day as PPCC Chief. This show, the Congress leaders are dual faced. They pretend to be pro-farmer but in reality they want our agitation at Delhi borders to be derailed. They want the farmers’ participation shifted from Delhi borders to their own political gathering as elections are near but the farmers will teach these leaders a lesson".
Channi who is also legislator from Chamkaur Sahib on Monday tweeted that he had written to the police to cancel the FIR against farmers as they do not want any action against them. In his tweet he said that they (he and his party leaders and workers) faced life threatening attack while coming out of Gurudwara Sahib in Chamkaur Sahib following which the police on his own had registered a case. He said that neither he nor his party workers had given any written complaint to the police and even they do not want any action against the attackers, hence the FIR should be cancelled.
SSP Ropar, Akhil Chaudhary said, "We haven't received any written complaint from any Congress leader. There is no political pressure on us. The case was registered by cop as protesters had disrupted traffic".