Arrested Farmer Leaders Refuse To File Bail Application; Challenge Government
After the police arrested several farmer leaders, including Sarwan Singh Pandher, Jagjit Singh Dallewal and PT John in Mohali while returning from a meeting with a central delegation earlier this week, the farmer leaders have now refused to file a bail application.
The farmers have decided to stay in jail, asserting that they are determined to see how far the Punjab government can keep them in prison, reported Times Of India. The farmers alleged that the government cheated on them, and they did not even consider Dallewal, who has been on a hunger strike for over 100 days recently.
Read Also: PT John Among Over 500 Farmer Activists Arrested In Punjab
The leaders also warned that they would show the government’s actions would increase the mistrust of public towards it for treating farmers leaders as intolerable, which they said echoed across the nation.
According to the report, former leaders Guramneet Singh and Tejveer Singh said that they were asked by the arrested leaders not to file a bail application. They were also told to meet more people and mobilise them for further protest against the state government.
Read Also: Pressing Economic Distress: Underlying Causes Of Unrelenting Farmers’ Agitations
The Punjab police had cleared the protest site of farmers under the banner of Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) and Samyukta Kisan Morcha non-political, at the Shambhu border in a special operation. Police forcefully evicted the farmers from the protest site, resulting in the loss of their valuable belongings, including documents. The Dharna’s temporary structures were demolished using cranes and tractors.
It is observed that, unlike the 2021 farmers’ protest, which, following the death of hundreds of agitators, succeeded in gaining the mass support, eventually pressuring the government to agree with their demands, including the repeal of the controversial bills. However, the farmers’ protest 2,0, spearheaded by Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) and Samyukta Kisan Morcha non-political, arguably lacked mass support, which failed to appeal public after the all the talks between the government and farmers’ representatives were failed.
