New Delhi: Farmers on Thursday blocked railway tracks in Punjab's Jalandhar to protest over the incident wherein a policeman slapped an elderly woman farmer in the Gurdaspur district. She was one of the farmers protesting against land acquisition for the Bharatmala project on the Delhi-Katra National Highway.
According to ANI, the farmers blocked railway tracks on Ludhiana-Jalandhar and Amritsar-Jalandhar routes.
Sharing the video on Twitter, BJP’s Jaiveer Shergill tweeted, “Shameful act of slapping a women farmer by Punjab Police official in a village in Gurdaspur, Punjab area. Punjab @PunjabPoliceInd must strict action against this individual.”
The police officer can be seen slapping the woman protester in the video.
According to PTC News, a senior police official said that the policeman has been sent to the Police Lines and a departmental inquiry has been ordered against him.
Speaking about the incident, Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee president Sarwan Singh Pandher said that police were using force on farmers, and even the turban of a farmer was removed during the protest, according to the Indian Express.
“Women were also subjected to verbal abuse. Several farmers were also arrested,” Pandher added.
Pandher further stated that the government had reached an agreement with farmers that land would not be acquired until the compensation is paid to them. “The government had demanded time till August but after the Jalandhar by-election victory, the government is taking Punjab for granted. If the government does not step back, we will block railway lines across Punjab at 1 pm on Friday,” he said, the Indian Express reported.