The Fact News Service
Chandigarh, December 21
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh today condemned the use of force against the protesting farmers outside a distillery in Mansurwal village near Zira in Ferozepur district.
“Using force against protesting farmers is no solution, you need to listen to their concerns”, Capt Amarinder said in a statement while responding to reports of huge police force being used by the government to evict the farmers.
The former Chief Minister said, no doubt there were court orders to open the passage to the distillery, but the police and the local administration could have done it peacefully by negotiating with the farmers.
Capt Amarinder said, farmers’ apprehensions are based on past experience as the industrial effluents do lead to groundwater contamination leading to various diseases including cancer. People in that area have suffered from various diseases, he pointed out.
“When the entire world is becoming environmentally conscious and concerned, our farmers are being beaten up for raising environmental concerns which is not acceptable”, he said, and advised the government to negotiate with the farmers instead of using force against them.
