Mann meets farmers, assures relief; dharna from outside Muktsar DC office lifted

An indefinite dharna was going on outside the DC office since March 30 after the alleged lathicharge of farmers and farm labourers outside Lambi tehsil office on March 28. A seven-member delegation of BKU Ugrahan and PKMU met the CM on Tuesday at his Chandigarh residence.

Joginder Singh Ugrahan, president of BKU Ugrahan, said, “We have been requesting the authorities to give the entire area under cotton in Muktsar 50% compensation as girdwari wasn’t up to the mark but the earlier DC Harpreet Singh Sudan didn’t agree to it. And due to this, the farmers were protesting but they were lathicharged. However, the CM has now agreed for the compensation and has earmarked Rs 50 crore for farmers and Rs 5 crore for farm labourers of this district (10% of the total compensation for farm labourers) He has agreed to our other demands too and hence we lifted the protest.” Meanwhile it needs to be mentioned that farmers are seeking compensation for their damaged cotton crop due to pink bollworm in September last year when the previous Congress government was in power.

The other demands that have been met are assurance of cancellation of FIR against farmers that was lodged on March 28 midnight after the lathicharge. “Seven farmers were injured in the lathicharge and now they have assured to take action against the then DC Harpreet Singh Sudan and DSP Malaut,” said Sukhdev Singh Kokrikalan, general secretary of BKU Ugrahan.

The CM has also assured to hold yet another meeting with farmer union members by April end over many other demands of the farmers.

Meanwhile, Sudan was transferred to Amritsar on. April 2 and Gurpreet Singh Khaira is the new DC of Muktsar.