Farmers across Haryana and Punjab are gearing up for a nationwide 'rail roko' agitation today, marking a continuation of their ongoing protests against the central government. Organized by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, the protest aims to further pressure the government to meet the farmers' demands.
Here are the key updates on the 'rail roko' protest:
- The agitation is scheduled to take place from 12pm to 4pm, during which hundreds of farmers are expected to block railway tracks at approximately 60 locations across Haryana and Punjab.
- Leaders of various farmers' bodies, including the Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan), Bharti Kisan Union (Dakaunda-Dhaner), and the Krantikari Kisan Union, have mobilized their members to participate in the protest.
- Security measures have been heightened, with authorities imposing Section 144 in Ambala district, Haryana, to prevent any major disturbances. Police presence has been increased in sensitive areas.
- The protest is likely to disrupt train schedules, affecting inter-city and state train services. Similar disruptions were witnessed last month on the Delhi-Amritsar route during a farmers' sit-in agitation.
- Leaders such as Sarwan Singh Pandher and Jagjit Singh Dallewal have emphasized that the farmers' agitation will continue until their demands are met. Dallewal specifically called for a legal guarantee for MSP on all crops, echoing the sentiments of the protesting farmers.
- The farmers' demands include a law ensuring MSP, implementation of the Swaminathan Commission's recommendations, pensions for farmers and farm laborers, farm debt waiver, withdrawal of police cases, justice for victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence, reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act - 2013, and compensation for families of farmers who died during previous agitations.
The 'rail roko' protest marks another chapter in the farmers' ongoing struggle, underscoring their determination to achieve their demands and secure their livelihoods.