Farmer activists, police clash again in Bathinda; 2nd showdown in fortnight

Bathinda: The activists of farmer organisation BKU Ekta Ugrahan had a second showdown with the police in less than a fortnight over the issue of the release of two incarcerated activists — Shgagandeep Singh and Baldev Singh. The showdown happened at Jeond village, which fell in Rampura Phool sub-division of Bathinda and was situated close to the Bathinda-Chandigarh national highway near Rampura. Four protesters sustained injuries while facing tear gas shells or pelting of stones from both sides. The injured were admitted to Rampura civil hospital, and 1 of them was referred to Ludhiana.Acting on a call by BKU Ekta Ugrahan, hundreds of activists, including women, assembled in Jeond village to head towards Bathinda to hold a protest sit-in at the Bathinda District Administrative Complex (DAC). The police, taking a cue from the happenings of Feb 6 when the activists assembled at the national highway at various spots and the police resorted to tear gas shells due to which the highway remained blocked for hours, reached Jeond village on Wednesday and did not allow the activists to move out of the village.
The villagers claimed while heading towards a religious dera, the police resorted to tear gas without any notice, which took them unawares. Seeing the tear gas shells, a number of villagers resorted to stone pelting in self-defence, and the police also resorted to stone pelting. "In the nearly 3 decades of our lives in the farm organisations, we never saw such a brutal attack by the police on villagers without any provocation. The villagers assembled peacefully and had no intention to take on the police, but the police continued lobbing tear gas shells for long, wherein some of the protesters sustained serious injuries," said BKU Ugrahan district Bathinda president Shingara Singh and general secretary Harjinder Singh Baggi. Earlier, police conducted raids at the residence of a number of leaders of the organisation, and police were deployed in large numbers at two spots between Barnala and Bathinda to stop the movement of farmers by putting up barricades. During the previous showdown on February 6, five different FIRs were registered against over 2,000 activists. A senior police official on Wednesday said 31 activists were detained, and talks were underway with the farmers. Any further action would be taken after the outcome of the talks. Bathinda SSP Jyoti Yadav said, "The farmers started pelting stones and pieces of bricks from the rooftops and police acted in retaliation to disperse them and some of the cops sustained injuries in the action. The police are obtaining medical opinion and appropriate action will be taken as per the medical opinion. Some protesters were detained but they had been let of."Meanwhile, the bench of the Punjab and Haryana high court allowed the bail of both Shagandeep Songh and Baldev Singh. The counsel for the activists, senior advocate Harchand Singh Batth, said the state counsel opposed the bail application, but the court, going by the merits, allowed the bail.Both were arrested on April 5, 2025, in a case of a showdown with the police at Rampura Phool on January 6, 2025, when the BKU Ugrahan activists went in support of protesting teachers of Adarsh School Chaoke in Bathinda.Organisation President Joginder Singh Ugrahan said they would hold rallies in villages on Thursday to raise their voice against the state govt and for the bail of the activists. BOX: Two sustained serious injuriesPics: Preet Singh with injury on hand, Charanjit with injury at forehead, legBathinda: The BKU Ekta Ugrahan leaders said Preet Singh of Jeond village sustained serious injury on his hand and Charanjit Singh of Mari village sustained injuries on his forehead and left leg. Preet Singh has been admitted to DMC hospital Ludhiana and Charanjit Singh to Apex Hospital, Rampura Phool. Preet Singh sustained injury from a tear gas shell falling on his hand while Charanjit got a fracture on his leg. A number of organisations, including farmer groups, have slammed the state government and Bathinda police for action against farmers.