PATIALA: Shiromani Akali Dal General Secretary Gurpreet Raju Khanna and Youth Akali Dal President Sarabjeet Jhinjer met last night with farmers released from Ropar Jail after a 9-day detention. The leaders visited the homes of the released farmers to express their solidarity with them and the entire morcha.
Speaking to the media after welcoming back the farmers, Gurpreet Raju Khanna said, "These farmers were detained following the forcible removal of the Shambhu and Khanauri Border Morcha by the Bhagwant Mann government—a betrayal by the AAP government. After calling farm leaders to a meeting, the government arrested them on the same day, dismantled the morchas, and detained the remaining protesting farmers. Adding insult to injury, the AAP government, along with its MLAs and police, looted the protest site, seizing numerous trolleys and valuable items from our farmers."
Youth Akali Dal President Sarabjeet Singh Jhinjer stated, "The actions of the AAP government are reprehensible and a stain on our state's conscience. Their brutal tactics against our farmers—including mass arrests and systematic dismantling of protest morchas—demonstrate a shocking disregard for democratic values and the rights of our agrarian community. Our farmers deserve better than to be treated like trash." He further added, "The criminal behavior exhibited by the AAP government is unacceptable. They not only betrayed our farmers by arresting their leaders immediately after inviting them to a meeting, but their collusion in looting and harassment further exposes their anti-farmer agenda. We will continue to stand with our farmers and expose these oppressive measures."
Both the leaders were accompanied by Sharanjit Singh Charnathal, Davinder Singh Tahilpura, Harmandeep Singh Chunni Majra, Avtar Singh Tari, Rajinder Singh Jhinjhra.
The farmers released yesterday included leaders of Bharatiya Kisan Union Ekta Siddhupur—Shamsher Singh (Senior Leader), Jagdeep Singh Aluna (General Secretary, District Patiala), Jasveer Singh Chanduha (Kala Pind Chamaru), and Manjeet Aluna.