Chandigarh, Dec 20 (IANS): Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday condemned the use of force against the protesting farmers outside a distillery in the state's Ferozepur district.

"Using force against protesting farmers is no solution, you need to listen to their concerns," he said in a statement while responding to reports of a huge police force being used by the government to evict the farmers.

The former Chief Minister said no doubt there were court orders to open the passage to the distillery, but the police and the local administration could have done it peacefully by negotiating with the farmers.

Amarinder Singh said farmers' apprehensions are based on past experience as the industrial effluents do lead to groundwater contamination leading to various diseases including cancer. People in that area have suffered from various diseases, he said.

"When the entire world is becoming environmentally conscious and concerned, our farmers are being beaten up for raising environmental concerns which is not acceptable," he said, and advised the government to negotiate with the farmers instead of using force against them.