Farmers hold two officials captive in Bathinda's mandi, clash with police

A group of farmers allegedly held a food inspector and a naib tehsildar (revenue official) captive and later clashed with police at a grain market in Bathinda district of Punjab on Monday evening, officials said.

Three police personnel were injured in the incident. The farmers also damaged two police vehicles, they said.

Some farmers were protesting over the issue of moisture content limit in paddy crop during its auction at the grain market in Bathinda's Raike Kalan village when they held the food inspector captive there. When the naib tehsildar went there to get the food inspector released, the protesting farmers also took him into their illegal custody, police said.

They said a police team reached the grain market to get the two officials released but the protesting farmers refused to let them go.

When the police personnel tried to get the officials released, the farmers clashed with them. Three police personnel were injured and two police vehicles were damaged in the clash, the officials said.

Later, the police team managed to get the two officials released. The injured were taken to the Civil Hospital in Bathinda, they said.