4 farmer leaders detained for bid to ‘disrupt' minister's event
Four leaders of the Bharti Kisan Union (BKU) Ekta-Azad were detained while they were allegedly trying to disrupt an event of cabinet minister Aman Arora in Longowal town, a Sangrur police officer said on Sunday. Among those detained are Jaswinder Singh Soma, a senior leader of the BKU Ekta-Azad, Kulwinder Singh Soni, Happy Singh Namol and Baljinder Singh Longowal.
A senior police officer, wishing not to be named, said that after the minister reached the event, a group of farmers was directed by a few union leaders to gherao him so the police had to detain them. The police officer said the farmers wanted to meet the minister in group, but cops requested them to send not more than two or three leaders. The officer mentioned that further action against the detainees would be taken accordingly.
There was no immediate reaction from the farmer union on the development. The union has been opposing the state government for forcibly evicting the farmers on March 19 from the Shambhu and Khanauri sites where protesters, demanding minimum support price for all crops, had been camping since February 2024 after being stopped by security personnel from entering Haryana during their Delhi Chalo march.
Meanwhile, minister Aman Arora laid the foundation stones for a few projects worth ₹12.09 crore. Among those projects were a 30-bed community health centre (worth ₹11 crore), a park ( ₹38.23 lakh) and some road construction projects valued at ₹79.86 lakh.
He stated that the new hospital building would fulfill a long-standing demand of the local residents. The minister assured that the hospital and other development projects would be completed in one-and-a-half year.
Regarding the ongoing row over water between Punjab and Haryana, he reiterated the state government's stance that Punjab didn't have extra water to spare. 'The police will not be withdrawn from the Bhakhra dam until the state's water rights are secured. The opposition parties should support the state government,' he added.
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