RAJPURA: About 80 workers of the Bharti Kisan Union (Lakhowal) sat in dhama on the Rajpura Ambala road to protest the refusal of the police to permit them to go to Shambhu along with three wheat-loaded-trucks.. The BKU men wanted to cross into Haryana from the interstate barrier at Shambhu to sell their wheat in the free market in Haryana.
“I will not allow you to go ahead with wheat” the Deputy Superintendent of Police J.S.Aualkh told them. However he neither responded to press queries nor to the BKU do workers question as to whether it is an offence for a farmer to carry his wheat to another state. The BKU also asked why they were not allowed to go at least to the barrier which was 13 kilometers away. But the police officer remained silent and said their insistence to go ahead would result in their arrest.
The protest to demonstrate the “ban” on interstate movement of the wheat despite the reported statement of the Chief Minister Beant Singh that there is no such ban appeared to be more symbolic The BKU workers. waited for some time at the Ambala Ludhiana crossing on the Rajpura bypass for more workers to arrive from Ludhiana and later their spokesman said the police detained five trucks at Ludhiana They walked towards Shambhu with the three wheat-carrying trucks following them The police however blocked the highway with their van so as to prevent forward movement of the trucks. The trucks were parked to block the road completely but the traffic was diverted down the kachha path along the highway as the workers sat on the road and held a rally.
Speaker after speaker protested Late as the governments ban on wheat movement and said the police action exposed the lie of the Punjab Chief Minister that there was no such ban on farmers.
The also criticized the government and the police for confronting the farmers on such minor issues “We are neither Secessionists nor militants” they said “We just want to have a better price of our produce by selling it in Delhi. Why are WE being stopped?” Manjit Singh Kadian general secretary of BKU was among the protestors.
They were sitting on the road and the police said if they did not lift the dharna they would probably be arrested for violation Of Section 144 which had been imposed there.
Article extracted from this publication >> June 5, 1992
