Garhshankar, December 31:- In protest against the arrest of Mukesh Malaud, state president of the Zameen Prapti Sangharsh Committee, by the Punjab Police at Delhi Railway Station, various struggling organizations of Garhshankar — including Kirti Kisan Union, Pendu Mazdoor Union, Democratic Employees Federation, Democratic Teachers Front, Democratic Pensioners Front, Doaba Sahit Sabha, and Tarkshil Society — held a rally at the local Gandhi Park under the call given by the Zameen Prapti Sangharsh Committee and Pendu Mazdoor Union to burn effigies of the Punjab government. After the rally, they burnt the effigy of the Punjab government at Banga Chowk, Garhshankar, and staged a protest.
Various leaders of the organizations — Harmesh Dhesi, Mukesh Kumar, Kulwinder Chahal, Sukhdev Dansiwal, Viney Kumar, Hansraj Garhshankar, Satpal Kaler, Balvir Khanpuri, Parmjit Singh, Dr. Bikkar Singh, Dr. Joginder Kullewal, and Madam Khushwinder Kaur — said that Mukesh Malaud is the state president of the Zameen Prapti Sangharsh Committee, which has raised the issue of land in Punjab. This organization has legally demanded that Dalits and landless labourers should get one-third share of the panchayati land for cultivation, so that Dalits and landless labourers can sow food crops for themselves and fodder for their animals. This demand seemed to Dalits and landless labourers as a means to partially fulfill their economic needs and build dignity, which attracted their attention. It turned into a wave, villages after villages awakened with this wave and started demanding their rights, due to which he (Mukesh Malaud) has become a thorn in the eyes of the rulers. On one hand, the Punjab government is boasting of being pro-labour in the special session of the Vidhan Sabha. On the other hand, yesterday, comrade Mukesh Malaud, president of the Zameen Prapti Sangharsh Committee, who is leading the struggle for the demand to distribute surplus land as per the land ceiling law among landless farmers and labourers, was arrested by the Punjab Police from Delhi Railway Station. In this way, an attempt has been made to crush the people's right to struggle.
The collective employees and labour leaders — Inderjit Bhatti, Jaswinder Singh, Pradeep Singh, Manjeet Singh, Jarnail Singh, Gurmel Singh, Dilbag Singh, Amarjit Singh Bangar, Santokh Singh, Jaswinder Singh, Balvir Singh, Pradeep Singh, and Sukhwinder Singh — demanded from the Punjab government that comrade Mukesh Malaud be released immediately. In case of non-release, the organizations in Punjab will be forced to launch an intense struggle.