The Punjab Police on June 13 removed protesting farmers from outside the office of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) in Patiala district where they had been protesting for the past few days in support of their demands. The police also took some farmers into preventive custody.
A heavy police force reached the protest site on June 13 morning and got it cleared.
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“With the use of mild force, the protesters have been removed from the site and the dharna called off,” Inspector General of Police Mukhwinder Singh Chhina told reporters in Patiala.
He said some farmer leaders, including Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who were on hunger strike, were taken for medical check-ups. He further said that all three gates of PSPCL have been opened.
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The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) [non-political], a breakaway faction of the SKM, had been holding protests outside the PSPCL office since June 8. Led by Mr. Dallewal, the protesters were agitating against the installation of smart metres and were also demanding the state government to stop charging commercial rates on electricity connections for ancillary businesses such as dairying, among other things.
The protesters had squatted outside the gates of PSPCL, blocking the entry of officials, thus affecting the routine functioning of the power utility. They had even pitched tents on the road leading to the PSPCL office, causing inconvenience to commuters. Top wrestler Vinesh Phogat also joined the protest on June 11.
