Punjab farmers stage dramatic protest, sow paddy at busy toll plaza over land grab
Amritsar: In a powerful and symbolic protest, farmers in Indian Punjab’s Ferozepur district occupied a portion of the busy highway and sowed paddy right next to the Ferozeshah toll plaza to highlight alleged land grab and denial of compensation by the authorities.
According to Kashmir Media Service, members of BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) led by farmer Gursewak Singh dumped soil on the highway and planted paddy on the disputed land. Gursewak claimed that during the 2019 land acquisition for the highway project, an additional 3 kanal 12 marla belonging to him and his brother Satnam Singh was illegally occupied without any compensation.
“I knocked on every door but got no justice. Now I have been forced to take this step,” Gursewak said, warning that if the grievance is not addressed immediately, he will cultivate paddy on the entire disputed area.
The unique protest has drawn significant attention to the growing anger among Punjab farmers against unfair land acquisition and bureaucratic delays. BKU leaders strongly supported the agitation and warned of intensifying the movement if the issue is not resolved.
Later, revenue officials including Naib Tehsildar Ramesh Dhingra reached the spot and pacified the farmers with assurances of a meeting with senior authorities, after which the protest was temporarily called off.
The incident once again exposes the deep resentment among farmers over systematic land grab and anti-farmer policies, even as the ruling establishment continues to favour big projects at the cost of poor and marginalised communities.KMS-6K
