Bathinda: Ahead of Independence Day, Faridkot district police on Thursday evicted BKU Ekta Sidhupur protesters from outside Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan’s residence at Sandhwan village. The police also removed activists from two railway protest sites on the Bathinda-Jaito section at Chandbhan village and near Ferozepur.The farmer organisation has been demanding the return of blank cheques allegedly collected by Punjab State Cooperative Agriculture Development Banks (PADB) while advancing loans, the introduction of a one-time settlement (OTS) scheme for loan accounts, and compensation for valuables allegedly stolen during the Shambhu and Khanauri protests. The union had been staging demonstrations outside PADB branches for over three months and outside the Speaker’s residence since Aug 5.“The protesting farmers had announced a rail roko on Friday in addition to the ongoing protests at banks and the Speaker’s residence. Police used force to remove protesters from Sandhwan and from the railway tracks,” said BKU Ekta Sidhupur president Jagjit Singh Dallewal and general secretary Kaka Singh Kotda.The union, however, said one of its demands had been met. The Punjab government has agreed to provide compensation to the family of two farmer brothers who died by suicide earlier this year. Jaskaran Singh (38) and his younger brother Jaswinder Singh (34), residents of Hari Nau village in Faridkot, allegedly ended their lives by jumping before a moving train near Bahmanwala village on March 23, with the family attributing the deaths to financial distress and debt.Dallewal alleged that the government had failed to address the issue of PADB banks retaining blank cheques from farmers. “The Supreme Court has observed that when land is already mortgaged as security for a loan, banks should not insist on blank cheques as additional security,” he said.He further demanded the launch of an OTS scheme to help indebted farmers settle outstanding loans.Dallewal also alleged that farmers were being pushed into debt because of “lopsided policies” of both the Centre and the state government. He claimed the Centre had not provided a legal guarantee for MSP based on the C2+50% formula, while the state government had failed to procure crops at MSP despite assurances.Police officials denied using force to disperse the protesters and said the protesters were asked to vacate the place due to security concerns ahead of Independence Day celebrations. Some were detained as a preventive measure, cops added.Trains divertedDue to farmer agitation in Ferozepur-Bathinda section, Hanumangarh Jn- Ferozepur Cantt train was diverted via Fazilka-Kotkapura- Ferozepur Cantt and Amritsar-Bikaner Jn train was diverted via Jhoktahal Singh-Firozepur Cantt-Kotkapura-Muktsar-Fazilka.Photos: Protesters being evicted from the Assembly Speaker’s residence and from railway tracks.
