Angry farmers on Sunday broke barricades and clashed with the police during their protest to gherao the venue of BJP sit-in demonstration at Company Bagh Chowk in Jalandhar.
As per reports, the BJP on Saturday announced to hold a sit-in dharna at Company Bagh Chowk here to condemn the controversial statements of Member of Parliament Ravneet Singh Bittu and against the deteriorating law and order situation in the state. However, the atmosphere became tense, when a large group of farmers who were protesting near the Press Club chowk, marched towards the venue of BJP dharna and were stopped by the police. Their way was blocked by barricades that were broken by farmers.
In the meantime, the protesting farmers also tried to stop the BJP State President Ashwani Sharma from entering the venue and started shouting slogans against the centre government and the three agriculture laws and tried to push their way through the police barricades.
However, when they were not allowed to do so, they broke the barricades and had a clash with the cops, which resulted in some farmers receiving minor injuries. Meanwhile, the BJP President made his way to the venue with high-security cover, and it took over 200 cops to pacify the angry farmers.
Besides, all the major routes connecting to Company Bagh chowk were barricaded by the police. Apart from a large deployment of city police, 16 buses of anti-riot police having 23 cops in each bus, four JCB machines, two water cannon vehicles, four tippers were placed on the spot to prevent farmers from breaking the barricades.
Talking to True Scoop, Lakhwinder Singh, a farmer at the spot, said, “We had no intentions to indulge in violence at the BJP venue, all we wanted is to protest peacefully, however, the police by placing barricades, water cannons, and tippers, blocked our way, which ultimately resulted in violence”.
Meanwhile, condemning the police action on farmers, another Kashmiri Lal, farmer union leader said that they were peacefully holding the protest, while the police created ruckus by placing barricades and providing high security cover to the BJP workers. He threatened to organise a similar protest outside the DC office shortly.
Meanwhile, Ashwani Sharma blamed Congress workers of indulging in petty politics in disrupting the law and order situation in the state.
ACP Central, Harsimrat Singh said, “We were expecting that Famers-BJP clash would take place in today’s event, hence security arrangements were made accordingly”.
Balkar Singh, DCP (Law and Order), who was also present at the protest site said, “The farmers broke through the barricades and the police were just trying to stop them”. When asked why the tippers were installed, he said that to avoid any clash between the BJP workers and farmers, we made the necessary arrangements including placement of tippers.
Farmers show black flags to BJP convoy at Jalandhar-Pathankot national highway
A large number of farmers also showed black flags to the convoy of the State BJP president’s convoy at Jalandhar-Pathankot national highway and at Cholang toll plaza. The farmers demanded the repeal of the three farm laws.