Chandigarh: A police team from Patiala detains farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal at protest site at Khanauri on Sangur-Jind border around 3.45am before taking him to Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH), Ludhiana.
Jagjit Singh Dallewal, coordinator of Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political), had to start his fast-unto-death protest at the Khanauri border in Punjab’s Sangrur. The move is aimed at pressuring authorities to address the longstanding demands of farmers and laborers.
Farmer leaders have voiced their frustration over the government’s failure to implement previously agreed-upon demands. Highlighting the sacrifices made, they noted that over 750 farmers lost their lives during the historic Delhi farmers’ movement. In addition, 33 more have been martyred since the launch of the ongoing Farmers’ Movement-2 on February 13, 2024.
Farmer Protest; What Farmers Demand?
The movement focuses on the following:
Formation of a Spice Commission to regulate pricing and marketing of agricultural produce.
Implementation of the MSP Guarantee Act as per the Swaminathan Commission’s 3²+50 formula.
Complete debt waiver for farmers and laborers.
Enforcement of the Land Acquisition Act of 2013.
Provision of 200 days of employment annually for MNREGA laborers and linking the scheme with agriculture.
Earlier this month, Dallewal, 70, announced he would sit on a fast unto death from November 26, the fourth anniversary of the farmers’ protest, to get the demands of MSP as a legal guarantee implemented. In 2020, farmers started marching towards Delhi on November 26 to protest against the now-scrapped farm laws.
“The cops came to the Khanauri border at 2.30 am and they broke the fibreglass wall of the temporary room in which Dallewalji was sleeping and took him to an undisclosed location. As he had refused to open the door, they broke the wall of the temporary hut built on the highway where he sleeps,” Amrik Singh, from Bharti Kisan Union (Sidhupur) told.
Join our whatsapp group for Latest updates