Despite downpour, protesting farmers hold ground

PATIALA: Farmers, who have gathered at the Mehmadpur grain market to vent their ire against the ‘partial’ farm loan waiver notified by the Punjab government, carried on with their agitation on Saturday despite the heavy rains on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the request from the farmers’ delegation over change of venue following rains was denied by Patiala deputy commissioner Kumar Amit on the grounds that Section 144 (banning assembly of five or more persons) of the CrPC was already in place within the city limits.
However, the farmers at the protest site set up temporary tarpaulin tents to take refuge from the wet weather. Many farmers even took shelter under the tractor trailers but refused to leave the protest venue.
Jagmohan Singh, general secretary of BKU (Ekta Dakaunda) said the farmers would strongly contest their case in the Punjab and Haryana high court during the next hearing on the PIL filed by a local lawyer, the hearing of which has been fixed for September 25. He said the high court bench had observed that the issues being faced by the Punjab farmers needed to be addressed and they would be putting up strong contentions before the court to seek relief.
Shiromani Akali Dal MLA from Sanaur, Harinderpal Singh Chandumajra joined issues with the state government on Saturday, claiming that the latest notification on farm loan waiver had only brought on record the fact that the Captain Amarinder Singh government had backtracked on its poll promise.