Farmer leaders Jagjit Dallewal, Sarwan Pandher detained by Punjab Police (WATCH)
Punjab Police detained farmer leaders Jagjit Singh Dallewal, Sarwan Singh Pandher, and others in Mohali amid clashes over MSP guarantee protests. Farmer unions condemned the crackdown, calling it an attempt to suppress their movement.
FollowPunjab Police on Wednesday detained prominent farmer leaders Jagjit Singh Dallewal and Sarwan Singh Pandher in Mohali amid escalating tensions between protesting farmers and security personnel. The clashes erupted as farmers attempted to march towards the Khanauri and Shambhu borders, where they have been protesting since February 2024, demanding a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops.
In addition to Dallewal and Pandher, other leaders, including Abhimanyu Kohar and Kaka Singh Kotda, were also detained during the demonstration. The farmers' demands encompass debt waivers, pensions for farmers and farm laborers, no hikes in electricity tariffs, withdrawal of police cases against farmers, justice for victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence, reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013, and compensation to families of farmers who died during previous agitations.
Congress MP Amarinder Singh Raja Warring criticized the detention of farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher by Punjab Police, calling it an act of betrayal against the farming community.
He accused the central and AAP-led Punjab governments of attempting to isolate Punjab’s farmers, stating that they were misled into ending their hunger strike with the promise of talks, only to face arrests afterward. Warring condemned the move, asserting that such actions reflect a continuous effort to suppress farmers’ voices instead of addressing their genuine demands.
Earlier in the day, the seventh round of talks between farmer leaders and a central delegation took place in Chandigarh. Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan described the discussions as positive and announced that the next meeting is scheduled for May 4.
The central delegation included Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi and Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, while Punjab was represented by Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema and Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian.
Despite these ongoing negotiations, the detentions and clashes highlight the persistent challenges in resolving the farmers' issues, underscoring the need for continued dialogue to address their concerns effectively.
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