Farmers Movement Archive

Day after revenue employees held captive in Lambi, staff go on strike across Punjab

Lambi/Muktsar, March 29A day after a large number of farmers under the banner of Bharti Kisan Union Ekta Ugrahan held naib tehsildar, a few patwaris and other officials captive inside the Lambi sub-tehsil office for nearly eight hours, officers and clerical staff of the Revenue Department today started an indefinite strike across the state.Revenue Department officers and officials even lodged a protest at the District Administrative Complex (DAC) here today, blaming Muktsar Deputy Commissioner Harpreet Singh Sudan and the SSP for the delay in freeing the staff.Notably, farmers were staging a protest outside the sub-tehsil on Monday but barged into the office in the evening. The protesters refused to allow the officials to move out and raised slogans against the DC and other revenue officials. The police pushed away the protesting farmers at night and reportedly used mild cane charge too.Acting on the complaint of naib tehildar Arjinder Singh, the Lambi police in the wee hours on Tuesday booked nearly 150 unidentified persons under various Sections of the IPC. They are, however, yet to be arrested.Further, on Tuesday morning, BKU Ekta Ugrahan activists again started a protest outside the sub-tehsil office. The DC said: “Of the total 6,400 affected farmers, just 2,600 have given their bank account numbers.” On the call of the Punjab Revenue Officer Association, Fatehgarh Sahib unit of the Revenue Officers’ Association also went on an indefinite strike.BKU condemns police actionMany not coveredA number of villages haven’t been covered while assessing the damage of the cotton crop. We were hopeful that the new government would do justice. — Gurpash Singh, farmer leader

The Tribune

2022-03-30