Coimbatore cops release farmers after Punjab government steps in
COIMBATORE: FOLLOWING the intervention of the Punjab government, the Coimbatore city police released a group of Punjab-based farmers who were detained in a private hall for allegedly planning to stage a protest.
Based on intelligence alert, a group of farmers including the national leaders of farmers association Sarwan Singh Pandher, Manjeet Singh Rai, were held at a hotel around 3 pm on Sunday.
It is suspected they planned to burn the effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, to condemn the death of Shubkaran Singh during their ‘Dilli Chalo’ march in February.
The farmers were kept in a private hall in North Coimbatore until the Punjab government stepped in. After around three hours of custody, they were taken back to the hotel.
Rajendar Singh Golden, one of the farmers, said five leaders of Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) from Punjab and two from other farmer’s associations in Tamil Nadu were staying in a hotel at Ram Nagar for the last two days. They were scheduled to visit various places in Tamil Nadu like Cuddalore, Rameshwaram and delta districts and planned to visit Kerala on April 12 as part of their tour taking the ashes of Shubkaran Singh who died during the ‘Dilli Chalo’ march.
“We had called for a nationwide protest against the PM and the Haryana chief minister in response to our farmer’s death. Since we are here, we wanted to hold the protest but police arrested us claiming the city is sensitive as the BJP’s state president Annamalai is contesting from here,” said Rajendar Singh.
He added, “Police released us after Punjab government officials spoke with their Tamil Nadu counterparts. A senior police officer in the Coimbatore city said the farmers were not arrested but were only taken for inquiry about their protest plan.