Raghbir Singh Brar
Faridkot
Email:raghbirsinghbrar@gmail.com
August 7,2026
The Bharatiya kisan union Sidhupur Ekta’s dharna surrounding Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan’s house on Friday entered the third day.
The union has alleged that it was forced to organize a protest because the government including Kultar Singh Sandhwan have been trying to shield the alleged accused employees of the Land Mortgage Bank Faridkot.
Two brothers from village Hari Naon,JAswinder Singh and Jaskaran Singh, had committed suicide due to the mounting pressure of the outstanding loans against him in March.
They committed suicide by jumping under a train when they were allegedly in utter despair allegedly because of their failure to pay back the debt availed by themm,which culminated to Rs 50 lakh.
The Bharatiya kisan union Sidhupur Ekta,led by its state president Jagjit Singh Dallewal and District president Bohar Singh Rupaiyan wala started an indefinite protest outside the Land Mortgage Bank Faridkot after their death.
They alleged many contradictions between the existing laws and application of mind in arbitrary manner when granting loans to the farmers by land mortgage bank Faridkot which is under the Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Singh Mann..
They alleged the bank retained the duly signed blank cheques,filed suits against the farmers and allegedly used unlawful methods to recover loans.
“Kultar Singh Sandhwan had announced in the presence of Guru Granth Sahib ji while attending the bhog ceremony of the two brothers that the government would provide jobs to the widows of the deceased,give them financial assistance and shoulder the responsibility of getting education to the children of the deceased. But so far,these promises have not been fulfilled. Rather during the meeting of the union, government officials and Sandhwan, Sandhwan allegedly tried to shield the accused instead of getting justice to the victims,”alleged Bohar Singh Rupaiyan Wala.
The union passes the partly responsibility onto the bank which allegedly loaned them.
“The deceased brothers had taken about Rs 5 lakh loan from this Bank and paid back about Rs 16.85 lakh.The bank create a fear psychosis among the farmers by retaining their blank signed cheques. Actually, when a farmer gets defaulter,this is called non performing asset and banks offer the farmers one time settlement scheme.Otherwise too,bank can not receive more that 200 times(double) amount than the loan given to the farmer.There are many victims of the bank where it violates the laws, “alleged Bohar Singh.
About the meeting with Sandhwan, he said that earlier they had given an ultimatum to Sandhwan to start protest on August 2.We had a meeting with him in Chandigarh but it was inconclusive.
“Now administration is in touch with us and it said that as the Speaker is busy due to the session,you would be heard soon,”said Bohar Singh when spoken to him by this reporter.
When contacted,Sadhu Ram Kusla,OSD to Sandhwan, he said that he can not comment on the issue.
“Only Speaker can say something on it,’ he said.
Sandhwan is under sharp attack of the union allegedly for shielding the accused,as alleged by the union some bank employees,and not honouring his promises of giving education, jobs and financial assistance to the families of the deceased.
The suicide of the two bothers
Jaswinder Singh,34 and Jaskaran Singh 38, two brothers had ended their life by throwing themselves in the train near village Bahman Wala on March 24 allegedly badly upset by their failure to repay the loans of banks and commission agents which had allegedly reached upto Rs 50 lakh despite some payments.
The brothers had earlier about 12 acres of land and before their death, they were left with only 2 acres,it is said.
“The bank allegedly forced them to commit suicide because they had borrowed about Rs 5 lakh but paid back nearly Rs 17 lakh.This is the pathetic tale of the small farming community which is drowning into debt,” said Bohar Singh.
The brothers loved each other so much that they had allegedly hugged before commiting suicide, the people said.