Ferozepur distt admn resolves farmer protest, hunger strike ends after key meeting
HARISH MONGA
Ferozepur, October 22, 2024: The Ferozepur district administration's proactive approach resulted in a breakthrough today as farmer Dara Singh, who had been on a hunger strike, ended his fast by drinking coconut water. This development comes after sustained efforts by local authorities to address the demands of protesting farmers.
For over two months, members of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) Ekta Sidhu have been staging a sit-in outside the District Commissioner’s (DC) office, demanding solutions to their grievances. A meeting was convened today at Circuit House under the leadership of retired ADGP Intelligence Jaskaran Singh, with DIG Ranjit Singh Dhillon, Deputy Commissioner Deepshikha Sharma, and SSP Somya Mishra also present. Following discussions, the district administration assured the farmers that their legitimate demands would be addressed.
The union leaders expressed satisfaction with the administration’s assurances, stating that once they receive the promises in writing, they would call off the ongoing protest outside the DC office. For now, they have withdrawn their call for a complete closure of the DC office gate, which was planned for October 23.
Earlier, two farmer leaders, including Dara Singh, had begun a hunger strike outside the DC office. When Dara Singh’s health deteriorated, DC Deepshikha Sharma promptly ensured his medical treatment, initially admitting him to a hospital in Faridkot, followed by AIIMS Bathinda, and then the Civil Hospital in Ferozepur for further care.
Today’s meeting, held at Circuit House, involved discussions between the administration and farmer leaders. With support from higher authorities, the administration successfully resolved the farmers’ demands, leading to Dara Singh breaking his hunger strike.
BKU leader Kaka Singh Kotla, State General Secretary of the union, confirmed that the October 23 protest to block the DC office gate had been called off. However, the union will officially end the sit-in protest once they receive a written agreement on their demands.
Other key figures present at the meeting included AIG Harinderpal Singh of the Ferozepur Zone, Block President of Mamdot Gursev Singh, and local farmer leaders Abhimanyu Singh Kuhad and Iqbal Singh Sappanwale.