At least 12 persons were injured when in a pre-dawn swoop, the police cane-charged and chased away farmers sitting on an indefinite dharna outside the district office complex here to protest against the “forcible” acquisition of agriculture land in Gobindpura village for a thermal power plant in the private sector.
Some elderly farmers were among those injured. By noon, farmers from Bathinda and Mansa districts assembled in strength in Bahaini Bagha village, 8 km away, and began to march towards Mansa to resume the dharna.
The police deployed in strength at the highway equipped with riot control vehicles did not stop the farmers who re-assembled at the district office complex and resumed the dharna.District police chief SPS Parmar denied that the police had resorted to a lathi charge. He said the police suspected that some mischievous elements had joined the protesters and could create trouble. Hence, the police had been deployed in strength in the area.
An elderly farmer, Teja Singh, who had come from Sangrur to join the dharna, showed his bloodstained pyjama and said he had sustained injuries on his leg when beaten up by policemen. Another farmer Joginder Singh had a bandaged leg. Jagraj Singh said the police reached the dharna site in strength at 5.30 am and started beating the farmers without any provocation.
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