Chandigarh: Samyukt Kisan Morcha (non-political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, spearheading farmers’ stir in support of their demands, including a legal guarantee of minimum support price for crops, on Thursday, August 31, held protests against the BJP at many places in Punjab and Haryana.
Protesting farmers burned effigies of the BJP at the Shambhu border point between Punjab and Haryana. They also burned effigies at places, including Amritsar, Moga, Kurukshetra, Ambala, Sonipat, and Panchkula.
Farmers stated that they will continue with their agitation until their demands are met.
The protesters also criticized the Haryana government’s recent decision to recommend gallantry medals for six police officials for their role “in preventing farmers” from heading to Delhi as part of their ‘Delhi Chalo’ program.
The Haryana government, in its recommendations sent to the Centre recently, had recommended the names of six police officers, three of them IPS and three others from the Haryana Police Service, for the “police medal for gallantry.”.
Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher lashed out at the Haryana government over this and said, “Police officers were being rewarded for stopping farmers from going to Delhi by using force.”
Pandher said the Haryana Police used teargas shells and rubber bullets against farmers when they were trying to head towards Delhi in February.
In February, the six officers were deployed during the farmers’ protests at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders, where security personnel prevented the protesting farmers from marching towards the national capital.
During the Thursday protest, farmers raised slogans against the Centre and the Haryana government.
“The agitation will continue till the demands of farmers and laborers are not met,” Pandher said.
The protesting farmers have been staying put at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana since February 13, when their ‘Delhi Chalo’ march was stopped by the security forces.
A young farmer, Bathinda native Shubhkaran Singh, was killed and many police personnel injured in clashes at the Khanauri border point on the Punjab-Haryana border on February 2.
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