Farmers protesting in Chandigarh on Saturday were forcefully evicted from their protest site by the Chandigarh police. The farmers had gathered in large numbers at the Motor Market in Sector-48 to protest against Sanjay Tandon, co-incharge, BJP Himachal and Chandigarh, and BJP volunteers who were attending a function organised by the market association and local party leaders in the locality.
Chandigarh protest and farmers detained, claim farmers present there. pic.twitter.com/PMSP37o7Fd
— Sandeep Singh (@PunYaab) July 17, 2021
Later on, police forces gathered in huge numbers and started detaining the protesting farmers and stopped them from gathering at one place. The Chandigarh police have also been accused of hurling abuses at the farmers gathered in the area to protest. Several protestors have said that they were physically abused and have sustained injuries during the police action.
In a video shared by journalist Sandeep Singh on Twitter, one of the protesting women can be heard saying that she was physically attacked by a senior police officer.
How Chandigarh police abused farmers. Listen to this woman farmerpic.twitter.com/l3NVjhzDmw
— Sandeep Singh (@PunYaab) July 17, 2021
Following the police action, the farmers have gathered in front of the Sector-31 Police Station where the detainees including a minor are held in custody to demand their release.
Farmers outside sector-31 police station to get farmers released. pic.twitter.com/7IzRH38coD
— Sandeep Singh (@PunYaab) July 17, 2021
Chandigarh is the capital city of both Punjab and Haryana and therefore, forms an important site of protest for the farmers who come majorly from the states of Punjab, Haryana, and Western Uttar Pradesh.
Farmers in large number have been protesting for the last seven months at Delhi borders against the three pro-corporate farm laws introduced by the union government led by the far-right Bharatiya Janta Party.
Meanwhile, the Sirsa committee along with farmer leaders including Rakesh Tikait, Jagjit Dallewal, Kulwant Sandhu, Vikas Sisar, Abhimanyu Kohar, Ravi Azad, Prahlad Singh, Sudesh Goyat is meeting with the Sirsa administration to demand the release of farmers arrested by the Sirsa police under sedition and other charges.
This is a developing story.