Farm activists get grand welcome upon release from jail

Bathinda: Two activists of farmer union BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) walked out of Bathinda district jail late Friday to a hero's welcome, with their villages, Jeond and Chaoke, celebrating their return with firecrackers. Shagandeep Singh (38) of Jeond and Baldev Singh (54) of Chaoke had been lodged in jail since April 5, 2025, and were released on Feb 20 after spending 10-and-a-half months behind bars.The duo, along with several others, had been booked for attempt to murder at Rampura Sadar police station on January 6, 2025, after BKU Ugrahan activists clashed with police while supporting protesting teachers of Adarsh School in Chaoke.
During his incarceration, Shagandeep lost his mother. He was granted 10 days' interim bail to perform her last rites, but the family had to wait the entire period with the body kept in the mortuary of Rampura civil hospital.Shagandeep's family owns four acres of land, while Baldev Singh's family has over three acres. Both were released around 6pm, where hundreds of BKU Ugrahan activists, including women, had been waiting since afternoon. They were placed on an open vehicle, garlanded, and taken in a convoy to their villages.The convoy first stopped at Chaoke, where residents welcomed them with firecrackers. It then moved to Jeond, where villagers waited till 9.30pm to receive them, lighting up the area around the Kisan Bhawan in festive colours.Both men said the warm reception had boosted their morale, adding that they were ready to participate in future protests despite having spent over 10 months in jail.BKU Ugrahan vice-president Jhanda Singh Jethuke and secretary Shingara Singh Mann, who led the convoy, said the courage and resilience of the activists kept the organisation at the forefront of farmers' struggles.