Farmers’ protest: SKM observes ‘black day’, burns effigies of BJP leaders

PTI, Feb 23, 2024, 6:22 PM IST

Credit: PTI

Hoshiarpur/Amritsar: The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) observed a “black day” on Friday and burnt effigies of BJP leaders in protest against the Haryana Police’s action against agitating farmers camping at two of the state’s border points.

The call was given by the SKM on Thursday to mourn the death of Shubhkaran Singh, who died in clashes between the Haryana Police and farmers from Punjab.

The incident took place on Wednesday when the farmers taking part in a “Delhi Chalo” march organised by their unions rushed to the multi-layer barricades set up by authorities to prevent them from proceeding with their plan and clashed with police at the Khanauri border point between Punjab and Haryana.

The Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan), which is a part of the SKM, said on Friday that it held demonstrations at 47 places in 17 Punjab districts in protest against Singh’s death.

BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) general secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokrikalan said they burnt effigies of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij.

In Amritsar, farmers burnt an effigy of the BJP-led Centre at the New Golden Gate, the main entry point to the city.

SKM leader Rattan Singh Randhawa said protests were held at various villages along the border, including Doekey, Mahima, Pandori, Modhey and Ratokey.

In Ludhiana, members of the SKM and trade unions jointly held a demonstration outside the Mini Secretariat.

They burnt effigies of Shah, Khattar and Vij.

The protesters demanded the resignation of the ministers and the registration of a murder case against those responsible for the death of Singh.

Similar protests took place in Hoshiarpur district where farmers raised slogans against the Centre and the Haryana government.

They also demanded that the government accept the demands of the protesting farmers, including a law on the minimum support price (MSP) for crops.

The SKM, which spearheaded a 2020-21 agitation against three farm laws that have since been repealed, is not a part of the “Delhi Chalo” agitation, but has extended support to it.

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) are spearheading the “Delhi Chalo” march to press the Centre to accept their demands, including a legal guarantee on the MSP and farm loan waiver.

Members of the SKM (Non-Political) and KMM put up black flags on their vehicles to register their protest against Singh’s death.

Farmer leaders put the march on hold for two days on Wednesday after Singh’s death and said they would decide their next course of action on Friday evening.

Besides the MSP, the farmers from Punjab are also demanding the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations, pension for farmers and farm labourers, no hike in the electricity tariff, withdrawal of police cases and “justice” for the victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence in Uttar Pradesh.

Reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013 and compensation to the families of the farmers who died during the 2020-21 agitation against the three farm laws are also among their demands.