Bathinda: Citing repeated police action in Jeond village, BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) secretary Shingara Singh Mann has written an open letter to Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann, narrating what he described as the “persistent trauma” faced by residents.In the letter, Shingara writes: “We are not well. Peace has abandoned our homes and village. We are victims of your police — from cane charges to tear gas shells — and this has continued for over a year. Previous govts did the same, but you came promising badlav and welfare for the poor.”He goes on to say that even as he describes villagers’ hardships, “we hear that you are well, attending rallies from a five-star-like hospital, taking on political opponents and returning to the hospital afterwards.” He refers to the Feb 18 incident, alleging that police “turned Jeond into a cantonment” and fired tear gas shells to prevent villagers from marching to the Bathinda district office, during which Parneet Singh and Charanjit Singh were seriously injured.Shingara also questions the govt’s claim of zero tolerance toward corruption, saying that when villagers raised concerns about irregularities at Adarsh School, Chaoke, teachers were removed instead of action being taken, despite a report by the Bathinda DC confirming discrepancies. “Then the police targeted BKU Ugrahan,” he adds.He further alleges that farmers who had been tilling land in Jeond for decades were targeted when they resisted attempts to evict them. “Even women were not spared, and two activists were jailed,” he writes. He adds that when villagers demanded the release of Shagandeep Singh and Baldev Singh, police cracked down again on Feb 6 and Feb 18.
