Farm labourers cane-charged near CM’s house, four injured
Four farm labourers received minor injuries when police resorted to a lathi-charge to disperse protesters outside Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann’s house in Sangrur on Wednesday afternoon. The chief minister is in Gujarat for the Aam Aadmi Party’s poll campaign. The protesters were demanding an increase in minimum daily wages from ₹282 to ₹700 under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), implementation of five-marla plot schemes for Dalit labourers and the allotment of the third part of common panchayat land on lease to Scheduled Caste villagers.
Their other major demands include compensation to agricultural labourers, who committed suicide, a hike in pension for oldage, widow and disabled persons and cancellation of FIRs registered against labourers during various protests. The farm labourers were protesting under the banner of the Sanjha Mazdoor Morcha, a joint front of eight labour unions, at Sangrur on the Patiala-Bathinda highway in the morning. Around 3 pm, they started marching towards the chief minister’s house.
They concluded their protest in the evening after the Sangrur administration gave them a letter which stated that their meeting with CM has been arranged for December 21. Sangrur district police chief, Surendra Lamba said: “We had to use mild force in defence as the protesters were pushing police personnel.”
Zameen Prapti Sangharsh Committee president Mukesh Malaud said, “We have been forced to protest as the government is ignoring our demands despite assurances.”
He said that the CM had given an appointment on October 3 for the meeting but cancelled it.
Parmjeet Kaur, another leader of labourers, said, “The Aam Aadmi party is working on the pattern of the previous government and following anti-labour policies.” Malwinder Singh Kang, chief spokesperson of AAP did not respond to repeated calls and messages.