Farmers in Punjab continued their ‘rail roko’ agitation at several places on Saturday in protest against the farm-related Bills passed by the Parliament recently. The movement of trains in the State remained suspended in the wake of the agitation, which was extended by three days till September 29. Earlier, farmers had decided to block trains from September 24 to 26.
Bharat bandh
Protests were witnessed in neighbouring Haryana with the farmers taking to the streets and blocking roads. Demonstrations were also reported from Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal as part of the ‘Bharat bandh’ call given by several farmer unions.
In Punjab, the call for ‘rail roko’ agitation was given by the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee after which 20 trains were partially cancelled and five short-terminated till September 26 by the Railways.
Squatting on rails tracks, agitating farmers shouted slogans against the BJP-led Union government and demanded roll-back of the farm Bills which they described as ‘black laws’.
In Amritsar, a group of protesting farmers went shirtless to express their anger. “We took off our ‘kurtas’ and shirts to make the government hear our voice,” said KMSC general secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher over the phone.
Farmers under the banner of Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) blocked rail tracks in nine districts. BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) general secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokri Kalan said the rail tracks were blocked at Mansa, Barnala, Nabha (Patiala), Chhahjli (Sangrur), Rampura (Bathinda), Ajitwal (Moga), Kotkapura (Faridkot), Gidderbaha (Muktsar), Jalalabad (Fazilka). He said elders, women, youth and children also participated in the protests. Farmers would force the government with protests to withdraw the farm Bills, he said, adding that the legislations will only benefit big corporates.