Punjab: Farmers’ protest continues demanding assistance for accident victims

Punjab: The indefinite sit-in protest by BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan) workers outside the deputy commissioner’s office in Barnala continued for the third day today. They are demanding a compensation of Rs 10 lakh each for the families of three women who died in a road accident while on their way to attend a Kisan Mahapanchayat in Tohana (Haryana) on January 4. The administration is reportedly willing to give Rs 5 lakh each to the families of the deceased, but the farmers want Rs 10 lakh each as compensation.
The union is also demanding Rs 5 lakh each for the seriously injured farmer workers and Rs 2 lakh each for the other injured. 36 workers of the union were injured in that accident. Jarnail Singh Badra, Barnala district general secretary of the union, said that despite the indefinite protest for three days, the state government has not paid any attention to meeting the demands of the farmers. On Monday, during a meeting, the administration told them that it could give Rs 5 lakh each to the families of the deceased. Regarding the injured, the administration said that they have been provided free treatment. Badr said that their protest will continue until their demands are accepted by the state government and the district administration.