After SC directions, farmers at UP Gate to continue sit-in protest

Farmer leaders at the UP Gate protest site on Tuesday afternoon reiterated that they would continue with the their protest till the three contentious central government farm laws were repealed.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed the implementation of the three laws till further orders and directed the formation of a four-member committee to resolve the deadlock between farmers and the government.

Thousands of farmers have been protesting at UP Gate border with Delhi since November 28 and have also blocked the Ghaziabad-Delhi carriageway of the Delhi Meerut Expressway since December 3.

Rakesh Tikait, farmer leaders and national spokesperson of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) said on Tuesday: “Andolan jaari rahega ... koi galatfahmi me naa rahe ... January 26 ka tractor march hoga Dilli mein (The protests will continue... no one should be under any misunderstanding... the tractor march will be held in Delhi on January 26),” Tikait said at UP Gate. “We will also go to our legal committee and dissuasions will be held (about court’s directions) in our core committee. We will also speak to the government on January 15.”

The BKU later issued a statement in which they thanked the Supreme Court for showing a positive stand towards the farmers.

“The core committee will examine the court order and will decide on future course of action,” the statement said.

Among the protesters were the elderly, women and children who were staying in temporary camps, tractor-trolleys while others also visit the site on daily basis.

“The women are farmers and have come here with their children without any force. So, we cannot force them to leave. We have not decided whether we will shift base from here to any other site. In all, we want to say that we will stay here till laws are repealed. The exercise for the tractor march on January 26 will also continue and 11 farmers who are on 24 hours relay fast will continue their fast,” said Jagtar Singh Bajwa, farmer leader from Uttarakhand and part of the farmers’ committee at UP-Gate.

On Tuesday, 70-year-old Mohammad Naseem, a protesting farmer and native of Muazffarnagar, had to be rushed to a hospital in Vaishali.

“He almost fainted at the protest site. He is now recovering at the hospital and under medical supervision,” said Gyanendra Singh, superintendent of police (city 2).

A 57-year-old farmer from Baghpat died at UP-Gate on January 1 after he complained of breathlessness. A day later, 70-year-old farmer from Rampur in UP allegedly killed self.

Eight rounds of talks between the farmers’ union leaders and government representatives have failed to break the deadlock over the farm laws.

The next round of talks is scheduled for January 15.

After a hearing on Monday, the farmers union had issued a statement that they do not want to go before the proposed committee. In its affidavit before the court, the government has maintained that the laws will not be repealed.