Several trains affected as farmers squat on tracks in Punjab
The protest was also supported by four unions of Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), including BKU (Ekta Ugrahan), and farm activists blocked all the major railway tracks across the state for four hours — 12 noon to 4 pm, on Sunday
Farmers on Sunday squatted on railway tracks at many places across Punjab as part of a ‘rail roko’ protest called by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha to press the Centre to accept their demands, including a legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP).
The protest was also supported by four unions of Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), including BKU (Ekta Ugrahan), and farm activists blocked all the major railway tracks across the state for four hours — 12 noon to 4 pm, on Sunday. As per reports, farmers sat on tracks at 52 locations in 22 districts, including Amritsar, Ludhiana, Tarn Taran, Hoshiarpur, Ferozepur, Fazilka, Sangrur, Mansa, Moga and Bathinda.
A total of 57 trains, including Vande Bharat, Shatabdi and other passenger trains, were affected in the region. In the Ferozepur Division, 24 trains were affected, nine cancelled, eight short-terminated, and seven short-originated.
The trains were cancelled on Ferozepur-Bathinda, Bathinda-Ferozepur, Verka-Dera Baba Nanak, Dera Baba Nanak-Verka, Jalandhar City-Hoshiarpur, Hoshiarpur-Jalandhar City, Jalandhar City-Pathankot, Pathankot-Verka, and Verka-Pathankot routes.
Simultaneously, eight trains were short terminated, such as New Delhi-Amritsar, Ludhiana-Ferozepur, Ferozepur-Fazilka, Jakhal-Ferozepur, Khemkaran-Bhagtwala, Ajmer-Amritsar, Ludhiana-Cheratta, and New Delhi-Amritsar. Additionally, seven trains short originated, including Amritsar-Ajmer, Amritsar-New Delhi, Cheratta-Ludhiana, Ferozepur-Ludhiana, Fazilka-Ferozepur, Ferozepur-Jakhal, and Bhagtanwala-Khemkaran.
In the Ambala division, a total of nine trains were cancelled and 26 others were affected. Shatabdi was rescheduled for the evening.
Amid heavy presence of security forces, not even a single farmer reached to block the Delhi-Ambala railway track at Mohra in Ambala Cantonment of Haryana.
By and large, the protests remained peaceful and no untoward incident was reported from across the state. Massive protests were held at Shambhu railway station also.
Jagjeet Singh Dallewal, convener, SKM (non-political). was part of stir at Bathinda,said: “The response to our Rail Roko has been good. The protests were held in more spots than it was announced. We have received reports that ‘Rail Roko’ was held even in Tamil Nadu, Odisha, UP, Rajasthan, and Bihar.”
The stir was led by KMM convener Sarwan Singh Pandher in Amritsar. Farmers blocked railway lines at Jandiala Guru and Manawala railway stations on the outskirts of Amritsar city.
Pandher and Dallewal said more action programmes will be decided in the coming days.
“There are reports of railway tracks being blocked by farmers in various states of the country, including Tamil Nadu (20 places), Madhya Pradesh (3), Punjab (75), Rajasthan (3) and Haryana (5). There are also reports of arrest of the farmers by police in Haryana, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry,” farm leaders said in a press statement. “If arrested farmers are not released it will invite a strong reaction”, the statement added.
Dallewal also welcomed the support of four SKM organisations. “Though, we have ideological differences, the support of these organisations has given a boost to the fight for farmers’ rights. We welcome their support, and other organisations should also join in,’ he said.
Commenting on his decision to join Rail Roko, Joginder Singh Ugrahan, president, BKU (Ekta Ugrahan), while addressing a protest at Sangrur Railway Station, said, “We have not joined the Rail Roko because of Pandher and Dallewal, we are protesting for farmers of Punjab, it is them to whom we are answerable. Even if Dallewal and Pandher don’t want to talk to us, we will continue to protest even if we haven’t given any call.”
Pandher while addressing a gathering in Amritsar, said, “We are determined and stay put here for a long haul. The union government should soon realise that. We will not call off stir until our main demand – legal guarantee on MSP – is fulfilled.”
The farmers also laid siege to the railway tracks in Gurdaspur and Tarn Taran districts. In Jalandhar too, farmers blocked the Amritsar-Ludhiana track at Jalandhar Cantonment, Bhogpur and Phillaur railway stations.
Besides a legal guarantee of MSP, the farmers are demanding the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations, pension for farmers and farm labourers and no hike in electricity tariff.
They are demanding the withdrawal of police cases and “justice” for the victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence, reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013 and compensation to the families of farmers who died during a previous agitation in 2020-21.
The protesting farmers from Punjab have been camping at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points since February 13, when security forces stopped them from marching towards Delhi.
The farmer leaders have rejected the Centre’s proposal for procurement of pulses, maize and cotton at the MSP by government agencies for five years, saying it was not in farmers’ favour.
