Farm, labour unions protest demanding Mali’s unconditional release

In a protest against the arrest of Navjot Singh Sidhu’s former political advisor Malwinder Singh Mali, the BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan) held demonstrations on Friday at around 20 places including at 13 district comprising Moga, Gurdaspur, Bathinda, others, and 7 tehsil centers across Punjab.

General Secretary, Sukhdev Singh Kokri Kalan, said that memorandums were sent to the Chief Minister through district and tehsil officials with demand over the cancellation of the false case against Malwinder mali and his immediate and unconditional release.

The farmer leaders mentioned that, although they may disagree with several of Mali's views and critical comments, imprisoning someone based on their opinions violates democratic rights, and the organization strongly opposes this. They accused that the false case was filed with government support by AAP party member, Mohali dealer, and member of the Punjab Cow Commission driven by a sense of revenge.

“Hundreds of farmers, along with women, youth, and workers from the Punjab Khet Mazdur Union, Naujawan Bharat Sabha, and PSU, also participated in the demonstrations. Mali has been consistently criticizing the anti-people policies of the AAP government. Holding opinions contrary to the AAP party or its government is not a crime. Trying to suppress an individual’s opinions through false cases and oppression is blatant tyranny, which will not be tolerated under any circumstances. We expressed heartfelt thanks to the farmers, brothers, sisters, and allied organization leaders and workers who quickly responded to the call for protest and participated with enthusiasm”, said Sukhdev Singh Kokari Kalan.

Mali's brother Ranjit Singh said, "Mali refused to apply for bail as we will file a petition to dismiss the case and the petition will be filed within the next few days. We thank all those including farmer unions who have come in support of Mali".

Lodged in Patiala Central jail under judicial custody, Mali was arrested by CIA Mohali on Monday night while spending time with his family at his brother's residence in Patiala. His arrest has sparked a political uproar, as he has been a vocal critic of the state government on various issues and has been frequently interviewed by news outlets.