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Named ‘Operation Opengate PSPCL’, the Punjab Police on Tuesday removed a group of farmers, under the banner of Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political), protesting outside the state power utility’s office in Patiala, while taking several leaders into preventive custody. The farmer leaders, who were on hunger strike, were taken to hospital for medical check-ups.
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political), a breakaway faction of the SKM, had been holding the protest outside the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) office since June 8, opposing the installation of smart meters. They have been demanding that the State Government should stop charging commercial rates on electricity connections for ancillary businesses such as dairying, among others.
As the police cleared the protest site, irate farmers blocked roads at several places in the State, including Hoshiarpur, Batala, Bathinda, and Samrala.
On early Tuesday morning, a large police force cleared the protest site, removed tents pitched by the farmers, and vehicles parked on the road. Some farmers were also taken into preventive custody.
Protesters were taken in buses to different police stations even as they raised slogans against the State Government.
“The protesters have been removed with the use of mild force,” said Patiala Inspector General of Police Mukhwinder Singh Chhina, adding that some farmer leaders, including Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who were on hunger strike, were taken for medical check-ups.
“Operation Opengate PSPCL is peacefully concluded in Patiala; and we have ensured that with minimum force, we lift the dharna and clear the road for common public and ensure that the PSPCL gates are open for the officials who have to manage paddy supply in Punjab,” added IGP Chinna.
Dallewal, Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta-Sidhupur) president, strongly condemned the police action when he was being taken away by policemen.
Police said that all three gates of the PSPCL office in Patiala have been opened.
The protesters had squatted outside the gates of PSPCL, blocking the entry of officials, thus affecting the routine functioning of the power utility. They also pitched tents on the road leading to the PSPCL office, causing inconvenience to commuters.
On late Monday evening, Patiala District Administration had declared the protesting site as illegal while issuing separate orders declaring the fixed dharna sites across the district. In its orders, Patiala District Magistrate earmarked sites for protesters and appealed to the protesting farmers to lift their dharna and clear the site.
The dharna had got huge support from various farm unions and wrestlers; and even members of the Quami Insaf Morcha, who had shown solidarity with the agitating SKM (non-political) members in the past four days. Top wrestler Vinesh Phogat had also joined the protest on June 11.
After the police action, farmers held protests by blocking highways at some places in the state. Irate farmers blocked the Ludhiana-Chandigarh highway in Samrala and the Amritsar-Pathankot highway near Batala for some time, they said.
In Hoshiarpur, farmers blocked vehicular traffic for about two hours at Tanda. Kisan Ganna Sangharsh Committee Punjab president Sukhpal Singh Daffar condemned the “forcible” removal of farmers and detention of farmer leaders in Patiala. He demanded that the protesters who were taken into custody be released.
In Bathinda, protesters blocked the road leading to Rampura Phul.