Mixed feelings at KMSC chief’s village

PIDDI (TARN TARAN): Nearly 6km from the district headquarters, Piddi village has been in the limelight for it belongs to the chief of Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC), an organisation of farmers and labourers having considerable hold in the Majha region of Punjab.

Satnam Singh Pannu (65) is the founding member of the organisation (KMSC) that took shape after parting ways from its original group Kisan Sangharsh Committee (KSC) in 2007.

It is being alleged that the mob that stormed in Red Fort on Republic Day and hoisted flags there was part of the KMSC’S tractor march.

More than 300 people from the village with a population of nearly 1,500 people have been camping at the Delhi border to protest against three farm laws.

Some villagers termed KMSC’S action of following the Outer Ring Road route, which was not approved by the administration, as reprehensible while others said the organisation has nothing to do with those people who hoisted flags at the Red Fort.

Though Pannu has been living in Tarn Taran city for the past two decades, he often visits his village to mobilise support for the protest. One of

Pannu’s brothers, Gurnam Singh, manages the family’s around 30 acres of land in the village while second one, Jasbir Singh, is an officer in the Mandi Board.

Jaimail Singh (55) of the village, who returned from Delhi border on Tuesday, said, “KMSC should have followed the four routes approved by the Delhi Police. A small mistake of the union has sabotaged the entire agitation.”

Another farmer, Vikram Singh, who returned from Delhi protest site on Wednesday, said, “The farmers and the labourers should boycott the KMSC. We are hearing that the union acted at the behest of a political party to sabotage the struggle.”

Sukhwinder Singh (60) said, “It was KMSC’S plan to hold peaceful protest at the Ring Road, but some miscreants, who appear to have backing of some political parties, marched towards the Red Fort.”

The village’s sarpanch Sawinder Singh (40) said the union has nothing to do with the violence at the Red Fort.

This was the second time when KMSC didn’t act as per the mutual decision of the farmer unions.

Last year, the KMSC had refused to lift the siege from the railway tracks in Amritsar when other organisations did from across the state when they were protesting against the three farm laws.