Farmers in Karnal Protest Auction of Agricultural Land Owned by a Loan Defaulter Farmer

Angry over the auction of a loan defaulting farmer's nearly two-acre agricultural land, hundreds of farmers affiliated with farm unions demonstrated in Karnal. The protesters claimed that the bank had sold his 17 kanal and three marla agricultural land to recover 17 lakhs pending loan.

They want the farmer's land returned to him because he is willing to repay his loan. Protesting under the banners of BKU (Chhotu Ram) and BKU (Tikait), the farmers accused the government of taking away their land in exchange for a pending loan of a few lakh rupees.

According to information, farmer Rishpal Singh of Jalala Viran village in Karnal's Nissing block borrowed 11 lakhs from a nationalized bank in 2007 for cattle shed and dairy.

He had only repaid four installments but had failed to return the entire loan on time, and the amount was later increased to 17 lakhs, plus interest.

Now, the bank is said to have auctioned off his mortgaged land for a loan to a bidder in an e-auction around three years ago.

The farmer claimed that there were no prior notices for the auction of the land to them and that he only recently learned that his land had been sold out on e-auction to a Panipat-based man, Deepak Kadyan.

The issue was brought to light on Saturday when the buyer of the land, accompanied by a police team, arrived in the village to take possession in accordance with court orders, but they were met with resistance from farmers, prompting the police to return.

Shiv Charan, in charge of the Sitamai police post, stated that the owner of the land had provided orders from the Chandigarh Debt Recovery Tribunal to claim possession and that a police team had arrived in the village to take possession but had to return due to protests. Police have stated that they will return to the village in the presence of a duty magistrate to ensure that the tribunal's orders are followed.