Farmers begin dharna in Gharsana again

Sriganganagar, Nov 11 (UNI) Thousands of farmers have started assembling in Gharsana today to intensify their demands for adequate irrigation water from Indira Gandhi Canal Project (IGCP) and a compensation package for dead farmer Chanduram Saran.

In view of the continuous dharna call given by Kisan Mazdoor Vyapari Sangharsh Samiti, the district administration has tightened the security arrangements in the town. District Collector K L Meena and superintendent of police Vinita Thakur are camping in the area to monitor the situation.

Barricades have been put up in the areas where prohibitory orders have been promulgated. The district administration lifted the prohibitory orders from Dhanmandi this morning, sensing the mood of the farmers. Earlier prohibitory orders were imposed in Gharsana.

The arrested farmer leader Pavan Duggal was produced before the additional district magistrate, who ordered him to be sent to judicial custody.

The earlier dharna staged by the farmers of Phase I areas of IGCP on Oct 16 in Gharsana had ended with a police lathicharge in which several farmers and policemen had suffered injuries. Farmer Chanduram had sustained injuries in the police lathicharge and died on October 24.

In keeping with their promise to keep the agitation on, the Sangharsh Samiti has decided to stage dharnas in Anoopgarh on November 13, in Vijaynagar on November 15, in Suratgarh on November 17 and Raisinghnagar on November 19.

Meanwhile, dharnas continued in Chaiyan near Rawatsar in Hanumangarh district, and the Congress has called a dharna in Lakhwali today.

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