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A Punjab Police officer has been caught on camera slapping a middle-aged woman farmer in a village in Gurdaspur district, the video of which has gone viral on social media. As per reports, the farmers were protesting against land acquisition for the Bharatmala project, which involves construction of highways in the region. Sharing the video on Twitter, BJP leader Jaiveer Shergill said, “Shameful act of Punjab Police officer slapping a woman farmer in a village in Gurdaspur. @PunjabPoliceInd should take strict action against this person.”
State-wide protests have erupted over the alleged assault of a woman by farmers against the acquisition of land for the Bharatmala project. Hundreds of workers of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Samiti (KMSC) staged sit-ins on railway tracks and blocked rail traffic in several cities over inadequate compensation for the land acquired for the project.
KMSC spokesperson Gurbachan Singh Chabba said the farmers were protesting over the issue of compensation in connection with land acquisition. Coming out in support of the farmers, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) condemned the ‘oppression’ on the farmers and demanded action against the culprits, as well as a high-level inquiry into the entire incident of assault on the woman.
Shameful act of slapping a woman farmer by a Punjab Police officer in a village of Gurdaspur in Punjab region.
Punjab @PunjabPoliceInd Strict action should be taken against this person. pic.twitter.com/rSmo8wv5LT
— Jaiveer Shergill (@JaiveerShergill) May 18, 2023
In a statement issued here, senior SAD leader Daljit Singh Cheema said, “The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government and its Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who also holds the Home Ministry, has exposed its true face.” To the protesting farmers, this anti-farmer government has decided to beat them up and detain them and even assault women and the elderly.”
Emphasizing that no government should function in such an authoritarian manner, Cheema said, “It would have been better if the chief minister had called the farmers and listened to their grievances instead of evicting them from their land.” He also expressed solidarity with the farmers and demanded that they be heard sympathetically.
