Farm protesters attempt to gatecrash Kejriwal, Mann’s Gidderbaha rally venue 

Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta-Ugrahan) activists forced their way through police barricades to approach the election rally venue where Aam Aadmi Party national convener Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann were to address AAP supporters in Gidderbaha on Saturday in the run-up to the November 20 byelections.

Raising slogans against the central and state governments, the farmers led by Jhanda Singh Jethuke held a protest and tried to gain entry to the rally venue, which was thwarted by the police.

The police authorities had barricaded the area to manage the crowd and secure the venue. When the police prevented their entry, the activists forcibly broke through the barricades. They were diverted from the adjoining area, and later, they blocked the road near the rally venue.

The protesters alleged that the BJP-led NDA was promoting an environment benefiting corporate companies and MNCs in the retail sector by setting up malls and “threatening small business entities”. They blamed the Punjab government for poor paddy procurement arrangements this season.

Kejriwal and Mann are in Gidderbaha town’s Satta Bazaar area to campaign for AAP candidate Hardeep Singh Dimpy Dhillon for the byelection.

On November 11, Ekta-Ugrahan group farmer leaders suffered injuries in a police action when the Bathinda district authorities intervened to free three officials from the captivity of union activists at Raike Kalan village. The farmer union was protesting the norms on moisture content limit in paddy during its auction and had held three officials hostage, inviting the police action.