Even as more than 400 farmers, who were rounded up by the police yesterday from various villages while they were protesting against the alleged occupation of landholdings of the farmers by civil and police administration, were sent to the Bathinda jail, a section of the farmers organisations have announced that they would start a battle against the Punjab Government from tomorrow.
While the farmers alleged that the civil and police authorities forcibly occupied their landholdings for giving the same to a private company for setting up the thermal plant in Gobindpura and its surrounding villages in the Bareta area of the district, Deputy Commissioner Ravinder Singh said about 93 per cent of the farmers, whose lands were acquired for the project, had taken the money in lieu of the same so far. Congress MLA from Budhlada Mangat Rai Bansal, who was also taken into custody, was released after two hours.
DC Ravinder Singh and DIG PS Grewal, who addressed a joint press conference here, said 38 residents of Gobindpura village were released today. He claimed that no resident of Mansa district was harassed by the police.
