LS Jakhar's resignation is the first such act of dissent by an official backing the farmers.
Punjab Deputy Inspector General for Prisons, Lakhminder Singh Jakhar, today said he has resigned from service in support of farmers protesting against three new farm laws introduced by the central government.
"He (Mr Jakhar) submitted his resignation on Saturday, but it is yet to be accepted," PK Sinha, ADGP Prisons of Punjab Police, told NDTV. "He hails from a landlord family of the Abohar area of Fazilka district in Punjab."
This move by Mr Jakhar, who was earlier suspended on allegations of corruption but reinstated two months ago, is possibly the first such act of dissent by a senior government official in the context of the farmers' agitation that has rocked the country over the past many weeks.
Thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana, and other states have stayed put at various Delhi border points, protesting against the new farm laws, which they fear will dismantle the minimum support price system system and leave them at the "mercy" of big corporates.
While a number of political parties like the Congress, SP, and the BSP, and their leaders such as Rahul Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav, and Mayawati have openly expressed support for the farmers, many others have threatened to return top government awards if the protesters' concerns are not met.
Those from various other fields, too, have come out backing them.
For instance, earlier this month, a group of top sportspersons and coaches from Punjab said they will return all their medals and awards and lay siege to Delhi in solidarity with the state's farmers. Pop artistes like Diljit Dosanjh and Punjabi poets Surjit Patar, too, have joined the protests in various forms.