CHANDIGARH, Punjab (February 1, 2015)—Gurjarat based Sikh farmers of Punjabi origin, who were assaulted by elements associated to the ruling party some days ago over land dispute, have finally got relief with the intervention of Central Commission for Minorities.
Talking to a Punjabi newspaper, victim Harwinder Singh said that thanks to the visit of members of the commission, and the media who raised the issue country wide, administration has assured that the cases filed against Sikh farmers would be withdrawn and on complaint of the victims, police had arrested 10 accused. He said that district collector has visited the spot and efforts are being made to settle down the issue before the arrival of the commission team.
The Sikh farmers say that they have worked very hard to make the land allotted to them fertile. Now, some locals try to occupy the fertile land forcibly. Harwinder Singh said that in Loria village of Bhuj district, five Sikh families live and they have been attacked twice. Scared of arrest, several Sikh farmers have migrated back to Punjab.
It is worth mentioning that some time ago Gujarat government had ordered to evict Sikh farmers from their land but Gujarat High Court stopped the implementation of the order. In spite of promises made by the then chief minister Narendra Modi, Gujarat government has challenged the High Court stay, remaining firm in the desire to evict the Sikh farmers.