Activist Navdeep Singh Jalbera arrested ahead of farmers’ gathering

Farmer activist Navdeep Singh Jalbera has been arrested by the Haryana Police in connection with an FIR registered during the farmers’ ”Delhi Chalo” protest last month.

The development comes ahead of a gathering convened by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) and Kisan Mukti Morcha (KMM) on Sunday to pay homage to Shubhkaran Singh (21), a farmer from Punjab’s Bathinda who was killed in a clash with police at the Punjab-Haryana border on February 21.

The Ambala Police arrested Jalbera from Mohali on Thursday.

He was produced in a court that remanded him in the custody of the Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) of the Haryana Police for two days.

Police said Jalbera was arrested in connection with a case registered here on February 13 under various Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections, including 307 (attempt to murder) and for assault on police personnel.

Jalbera, a native of the eponymous village near Ambala, became famous as the ”water-cannon man” for climbing atop a police water cannon in November 2020 during the farmers’ movement against three central farm laws that have since been repealed.

In 2020, thousands of farmers marched towards Delhi and held an agitation at the capital’s Singhu and Tikri border points for months despite heavy police barricading.

Jalbera’s lawyer Rohit Jain said police have arrested three people, including his client, in connection with the case.

The FIR names 20 people, including several top farmer leaders.

Jain said the farmers have denied the charges levelled against them by police.

Police told the court that Jalbera’s remand was required in order to trace his car and weapons used in the agitation.

Farmers camping at two border points between Punjab and Haryana had recently said they would continue their agitation until their demands are met.

The SKM (non-political) and KMM are spearheading the ”Delhi Chalo” march to press the BJP-led Centre to accept their demands, including a legal guarantee on the minimum support price (MSP) for all crops.

Farmers from Punjab have been camping at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points since February 13.

Both border points have a police deployment and a total barricading.

Singh was killed during a clash with police at Khanauri on the Punjab-Haryana border. Twelve police personnel were also injured in the clash.

The clash broke out when some farmers rushed towards the police barricades and were stopped by security personnel.