One farmer was killed while at least 12 others were injured when police resorted to lathicharge to disperse an agitating crowd of peasants, who were protesting against snapping of power connection and had taken some Government officials hostage.
Denying that the farmer died in police lathicharge, a senior police officer claimed on Monday that at least 15 policemen were injured during the melee and it was the farmers who first attacked the policemen on Friday night. However, the farmers maintained that on Friday night one of their fellow protesters, Bahadur Singh, a resident of Bandala village, Jandiala Guru town of Amritsar district was killed during lathicharge as he was brutally beaten up by the police. Singh was declared dead at a hospital. Friday night, a heavy police force resorted to lathicharge on a group of over 300 farmers. The farmers were demanding restoration of electric connections which were disconnected due to non-payment. They were also demanding slashing of power tariff.
The situation took ugly turn when a heavy crowd of farmers from Kisan Sangarsh Committee outfit led by Satnam Singh Pannu cordoned off the Punjab State Power Corporation office and took hostage its officers inside the office. After this heavy police force reached the spot and resorted to lathicharge on the peasants to rescue the officers, sources said. In the melee, over a dozen farmers were injured. The peasants had also allegedly hurled stones at the police. Justifying the lathicharge, police Commissioner Jatinder Singh Aulakh said on Saturday that farmers had taken officials as hostage that included some women of Punjab State Power Corporation Department. The officer said the lathi-charge was ordered when negotiations with farmers failed to yield any result and protests erupted. “At least 15 policemen were injured during the melee”, he said.