Farmers in Punjab launched a three-hour ‘rail roko’ protest on Wednesday, disrupting railway services across the state. The protest has been organized by prominent farmer groups such as the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, the protest caused widespread disruption to rail traffic across 100 locations, aimed to pressure the government into accepting their demands, including a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops.
The timing of the protest was marked by tragedy, as a farmer who had attempted suicide last week succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment. This further fueled the farmers’ determination and highlighted the urgency of their demands.
The protest caused significant disruptions to train schedules and affected passengers traveling through the region. While the farmers expressed their grievances peacefully, the impact on essential transportation services was undeniable.
What Farmers Want?
Farmers in Punjab are demanding a legally binding Minimum Support Price (MSP) for their crops, a key issue for their financial security and livelihoods. Other crucial demands include a debt waiver for farmers, pensions for both farmers and agricultural workers, a reversal of recent electricity tariff hikes, and justice for the victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence.
The ‘Rail Roko’ protests, held on Wednesday, disrupted railway services at numerous locations across the state. Key protest sites included Moga, Faridkot, Kadian, Batala (Gurdaspur), Phillaur (Jalandhar), Tanda, Dasuya, Mahilpur (Hoshiarpur), Makhu, Talwandi Bhai (Ferozepur), Sahnewal (Ludhiana), Shambhu (Patiala), Mohali, Sunam, and Lehra (Sangrur). The three-hour protest, commencing at 12 PM and concluding at 3 PM, caused significant disruptions to train schedules.
This ‘Rail Roko’ action follows weeks of sustained protests. Farmers have been maintaining a presence at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana since February 13, after their planned march to Delhi was halted by security forces. Additionally, farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal has been on a hunger strike at Khanauri for over three weeks, intensifying pressure on the government to address their demands, particularly the legal guarantee of MSP.
Earlier in December, a group of 101 farmers made repeated attempts to march to Delhi to raise their concerns, but they were consistently stopped by Haryana security personnel. Besides the MSP demand, farmers are also advocating for the reinstatement of the 2013 Land Acquisition Act and seeking compensation for families who suffered losses during previous agricultural agitations in 2020-21.
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