Angryfarmers on Sunday broke barricades and clashed with the police during theirprotest to gherao the venue of BJP sit-in demonstration at Company Bagh Chowkin Jalandhar.
Asper reports, the BJP on Saturday announced to hold a sit-in dharna at CompanyBagh Chowk here to condemn the controversial statements of Member of ParliamentRavneet Singh Bittu and against the deteriorating law and order situation inthe state. However, the atmosphere became tense, when a large group of farmerswho were protesting near the Press Club chowk, marched towards the venue of BJPdharna and were stopped by the police. Their way was blocked by barricades thatwere broken by farmers.
Inthe meantime, the protesting farmers also tried to stop the BJP State PresidentAshwani Sharma from entering the venue and started shouting slogans against thecentre government and the three agriculture laws and tried to push their waythrough the police barricades.
However,when they were not allowed to do so, they broke the barricades and had a clashwith 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 ittook over 200 cops to pacify the angry farmers.
Besides,all the major routes connecting to Company Bagh chowk were barricaded by thepolice. Apart from a large deployment of city police, 16 buses of anti-riotpolice having 23 cops in each bus, four JCB machines, two water cannonvehicles, four tippers were placed on the spot to prevent farmers from breakingthe barricades.
Talkingto True Scoop, Lakhwinder Singh, a farmer at the spot, said, “We had nointentions to indulge in violence at the BJP venue, all we wanted is to protestpeacefully, however, the police by placing barricades, water cannons, andtippers, blocked our way, which ultimately resulted in violence”.
Meanwhile,condemning the police action on farmers, another Kashmiri Lal, farmer unionleader said that they were peacefully holding the protest, while the policecreated ruckus by placing barricades and providing high security cover to theBJP workers. He threatened to organise a similar protest outside the DC officeshortly.
Meanwhile,Ashwani Sharma blamed Congress workers of indulging in petty politics indisrupting the law and order situation in the state.
ACPCentral, Harsimrat Singh said, “We were expecting that Famers-BJP clash wouldtake place in today’s event, hence security arrangements were madeaccordingly”.
BalkarSingh, DCP (Law and Order), who was also present at the protest site said, “Thefarmers broke through the barricades and the police were just trying to stopthem”. When asked why the tippers were installed, he said that to avoid anyclash between the BJP workers and farmers, we made the necessary arrangementsincluding placement of tippers.
Farmersshow black flags to BJP convoy at Jalandhar-Pathankot national highway
Alarge number of farmers also showed black flags to the convoy of the State BJPpresident’s convoy at Jalandhar-Pathankot national highway and at Cholang tollplaza. The farmers demanded the repeal of the three farm laws.