Patiala : Hundreds of Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) members laid siege to the Patiala deputy commissioner ’s office on Monday as part of a state-wide agitation, blocking all the gates and disrupting work at the mini-secretariat .




In the wake of a minor scuffle which broke out when police tried to prevent protesters from entering through a gate, union leaders accused the police of using excessive force.




District unit senior vice-president Jagdeep Singh Chhanna accused state and central govts of ignoring longstanding agrarian issues. He alleged that govt representatives accepted farmers’ demands during official deliberations but later failed to implement them.




Chhanna said protesters burnt a govt effigy near the deputy commissioner’s residence on Monday evening, while the agitation continued near the DC office. He added that there was a scuffle when police prevented farmers from entering the gate towards the mini-secretariat.




Demands raised by the union include complete withdrawal of the land pooling policy , unconditional ownership rights for long-time cultivators, subsidised paddy-stubble management without penalties, pending crop-loss compensation, timely, hassle-free paddy procurement in mandis and complete agricultural debt waiver for farmers and farm labourers.




The protesters are also pressing for withdrawal of the proposed India-US agricultural trade framework , assured supplies of DAP and other fertilisers before the rabi sowing season, and govt jobs for rural youth. They also opposed privatisation of public-sector departments.




Union leaders said the round-the-clock sit-in would continue till senior administrative authorities gave concrete assurances.