Police lobbed tear gas shells after protesting farmers, gathered under the banner of BKU (Ekta Ugrahan), allegedly pelted stones during a protest in Bathinda demanding the release of two jailed farmers.
Authorities said the situation was brought under control, while farmers claimed police action was unprovoked and alleged raids on leaders’ homes ahead of the protest.
Several protesters were detained, and farmers heading to Bathinda from nearby areas were stopped by police, leading to scuffles in parts of Patiala district.
Tear Gas Fired as Farmers Clash with Police in Bathinda
Protest over arrest of two farmers turns tense; several detained
Summary
Police on Wednesday lobbed tear gas shells to control a group of farmers after they allegedly pelted stones at police personnel during a protest in Punjab's Bathinda to demand the release of two farmers arrested last year, officials said.
They claimed to have arrested several farmers who were protesting.
In Jeond village, farmers gathered outside the Bathinda District Administrative Complex to protest under the banner of the Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan).
Ahead of the protest, a heavy police deployment was made in and around Bathinda and neighbouring districts to prevent the protesters from proceeding towards the Bathinda District Administrative Complex.
Bathinda Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Jyoti Yadav Bains said the "mob" was pelting stones from rooftops at police.
"The mob showed aggression, but we contained it. The situation is under control," said Bains.
However, a farmer who was protesting said that police officers pelted stones at them and launched tear gas shells without warning. He asserted that the right to protest is a democratic one.
In addition, he charged that following the protest call, police had raided the homes of farmer leaders to arrest them.
In order to demand the release of farmers Shagandeep Singh Jeond and Baldev Singh Chauke, who were detained during a protest last year and have been detained in Bathinda jail since April, the BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) organised the demonstration on Wednesday.
Police in Samana, Patiala, halted several farmers who were going to Bathinda to join the demonstration near Gajewas hamlet on the Samana-Bhawanigarh route. Tipper trucks loaded with dirt were parked across the road.
Some farmers scuffled with police personnel near a gurdwara in Samana after the protesters were stopped from proceeding further.
Farmers claimed that they were on their way to hold a peaceful protest outside the Bathinda District Administrative Complex, but police stopped them and detained several protesters.
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