Friday, June 18, 2010

BKU supports strike against land acquisition from farmers

Haridwar, June 1


A major boost was provided to Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) land displaced farmers who are on an indefinite stir against the BHEL management, with the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Tikkait) coming in support of the agitators.



A visit was paid by executive members of the Tikkait union at Roshanabad where the farmers have been agitating for the past 43 days.



Led by state general secretary Baljor Singh, the delegation assured full support to the displaced farmers union and said the district administration and BHEL management should instantly meet the demands of the agitators otherwise it would have to face serious consequences.



While the agitating union is demanding BHEL management to allot lands to the displaced farmers who gave their land to set up of the BHEL unit in Ranipur in the ’60s and ’70s. The union is demanding of providence of one job each to the family of the displaced farmers so that they can live normal life as of now they neither have land nor the jobs.



Chief of the agitating union Tilak Ram Saini thanked the support ushered by the Tikkait union and said with this in the second month of agitation a new lease of life had been put into the farmers and now they would press more strongly for their demands fulfilment.



While warning of taking the movement aggressively, Irfan Ali, general secretary of the farmers union, said if the stance of the BHEL management and district administration continued thus, they would be taking the agitation route in a more aggressive manner.



Alongside resentment was also seen among the farmer leaders over the arrest of Sanjay Chaudhari, district chief of Haridwar, by the police on charges of blocking roads as part of protesting. Unanimously, both union leaders demanded the release of Sanjay terming protests as part of democracy and if the administration carried on such acts, then the very spirit of democracy was hurt.



Among others who addressed the agitation were Chaudhari Harendra, Taufeel Ahmed, Atar Singh, Raw Achan, Rao Jahid, Balwant Saini, Anand Saini, Kushal Veer Singh, Rajendra Singh, Virendar Singh, Sunil Kumar, Fakish Khan, Chaudhari Darendra Singh Om Prakash and Vijay Kumar Shastri of the Tikkait union.