While Northern India is witnessing a spike in Air Pollution even before Diwali, multiple state governments are trying hard to stop stubble burning including Punjab, Haryana, and UP. However, it is a bitter fact that till then people themselves do not stop burning stubble, which is among the major contributors to degrading air quality, no major change can take place. Now, a video from Bathinda is breaking the internet in which farmers protested and forced a PWD official to burn stubble. The PWD official reportedly went to the village with a message to stop stubble burning.
The shocking incident took place on Saturday, when farmers of the Mehma Serja village of Punjab’s Bathinda district were caught on cam forcing a government employee to burn stubble. As per reports, the team of the Public Works Department had gone to the village to stop stubble burning Friday late afternoon. However, as soon as the team reached, the members of the Bharatiya Kisan Union’s Sidhupur unit gathered and started screaming at them.
Despite the government officials went with a simple awareness message, the farmers raised anti-government slogans. As per Bathinda farmers stubble viral video, Harpreet Singh, a PWD officer, was even forced to use a match stick to burn the stubble. The Bathinda district administration informed that only after Singh lit straw, he was allowed to leave.
After the video went viral, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann took to his official X handle and expressed his displeasure over the incident. In his tweet, Punjab CM Mann wrote, (Translated Version), "Dear Punjabis, which path are you following??...Government employee came with the message of not burning stubble, but was forced to burn it by himself...Guru Sahib gave wind the status of Guru...We are trying to destroy this status. With sticks in their hands, they are trying to destroy their children's share of oxygen... cases have started to be registered."
As per reports, an FIR has been registered. Reportedly, union leaders have apologised to the district administration and disowned the act.
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