Farmers clash with power corp employees
Thursday, 14/06/2012
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120614/punjab.htm#7
A dharna by farmers of two villages-Harike Kalan and Kothe Bahadur Singh-in the home district of the CM turned violent after a standoff with Punjab State Power Corporation Ltd (PSPCL).
The farmers, demanding uninterrupted power supply to their fields, were staging a dharna in front of the PSPCL office in Sarainaga village. After a bitter exchange of words with a PSPCL Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO), some farmers attacked his car as he tried to flee. Irked by the incident, PSPCL employees in Muktsar and Sarainaga sat on a protest dharna on the Kotkapura-Muktsar road, demanding action against the farmers. This led to a traffic congestion and bowing to pressure, the Muktsar police today registered a criminal case under Sections 353, 341, 427, 148, 49, IPC, against 25 farmers.
At this, the farmers blocked the Kotkapura-Muktsar road, demanding that the FIR be cancelled.
In this tug-of-war, while Muktsar MLA and Congress leader Karan Brar and her son Karanbir joined hand with the farmers, Jaspal Singh, son of former Akali MLA Sukhdarshan Singh Mrar and Hira Singh Chhidvan, Chairman, Muktsar Block Samiti, announced their support for the PSPCL employees.
Muktsar DC Paramjit Singh said the administration was trying to prevail upon the farmers and the PSPCL employees to end the impasse.
