Farmers agitating against the three farm laws pushed through Parliament in September will gather at the three protest sites at Delhi’s borders and urged people to hoist black flags in their support on Wednesday, when their agitation completes six months.
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha, a collective of around 30 farmers’ unions, also decided to hold demonstrations, although the Delhi police said no permission has been given for a protest or a rally and appealed to the protesters to maintain law and order, and observe Covid-appropriate behaviour.
Experts have warned that any such gathering could turn into a superspreader event, particularly at a time when cases have been receding in the Capital after a devastating few weeks and a hard lockdown.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the SKM said the farmers’ unions across the country will observe a “Black Day”.
“Tomorrow, on Buddha Poornima, at the protest sites at Delhi borders as well as in other locations across the country, farmers will celebrate the holy day. This farmer’s movement is running on truth and non-violence, and will be completing 6 months of its historical struggle tomorrow,” the SKM said in the statement.
Thousands of farmers have been camping at Delhi’s borders at Singhu, Ghazipur, and Tikri, since November to press the government into repealing the new laws, which they say will erode their bargaining power, weaken a system of assured prices, and leave them vulnerable to exploitation by big agri businesses.
{{/usCountry}}Thousands of farmers have been camping at Delhi’s borders at Singhu, Ghazipur, and Tikri, since November to press the government into repealing the new laws, which they say will erode their bargaining power, weaken a system of assured prices, and leave them vulnerable to exploitation by big agri businesses.
{{/usCountry}}Farm leaders have also asked people to don black clothes to show support for the agitation. “Demonstrations should also be held in the chaurahas with sloganeering. Farmers said that by putting black flags on houses, shops, offices, tractors, cars, jeeps, scooters, motorcycles, buses and trucks, citizens should oppose the three agricultural laws, the Electricity Amendment Bill and the Pollution Ordinance,” the SKM statement said.
The development has come a week after the farm unions urged the Centre to resume talks, asserting that the discussion would have to be about repealing the new farm laws. So far, the government has held 11 rounds of discussions but none have failed to break the deadlock.
The government has said that the laws aim to ease restrictions on farm trade by setting up free markets, allow traders to stockpile large stocks for future sales, and lay down a framework for contract farming.
Additional police personnel have been deployed at the bordersto prepare for Wednesday, Delhi police spokesperson Chinmoy Biswal said.
The continuous rain in the Capital last week, and the deadly second wave of the pandemic since March, have led to a thinning of the numbers at the protest sites. But, the farmers said they will continue the agitation till their demands are met.
Gurjant Singh, 36, a farmer from Punjab’s Mohali district, who has been protesting at the Singhu border said, “Though the enthusiasm among the protesters who only joined us occassionally has ebbed a bit, those fighting for their land and livelihood are still here.”
SKM’s media coordinator, Harinder Singh, said that the organisers have taken several steps to arrest the spread of the virus at the protest sites. “We even put up the sound system [loudspeakers] closer to the trolleys across protest sites so that farmers would not have to come towards the stage to listen to the speeches. We invited doctors to speak on stage and educate the farmers on precautions, symptoms and Covid-appropriate behaviour,” he said.