Farmers start three-day rail rokoagitation in Punjab against Centre; some rail services disrupted

As farmers blocked tracks, rail services were affected in some parts of the state with the disruption of long-distance and local train movement; 19 farmers’ bodies have come together to push the Centre into acceding to their demands

Farmers under the aegis of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee block the railway tracks to stage a ‘Rail Roko Andolan’ over their various demands, including the withdrawal of cases regarding agitation in Delhi and compensation and jobs for the families of the farmers who died during the agitation, at Devi Dass Pura, in Amritsar. | Photo Credit: ANI

Stepping up their agitation against the Centre, farmers associated with 19 different farmers’ outfits on Thursday started a three-day rail roko agitation across Punjab to press for fulfilment of their demands including a law on assured Minimum Support Price (MSP).

Members of these organisations squatted and blocked railway tracks at 17 different places across different districts including Moga, Hoshiarpur, Gurdaspur, Jalandhar, Tarn Taran, Sangrur, Patiala, Ferozepur, Bathinda, and Amritsar in the State, said Sarwan Singh Pandher, general secretary of the Punjab unit of Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, which is one of the outfits participating in the agitation.

As farmers blocked the tracks, it affected railway services in some places, resulting in disruption of long-distance and local train movement in the State.

“The BJP-led government at the Centre has been ignoring farmers’ plight for long and hence we had to resort to the agitation. We blocked railway tracks today and our rail roko agitation will continue till September 30 in its first phase. And if our demands are not met we will further intensify the agitation,” said Mr. Pandher.

The farmers outfits have been demanding the central government to announce a special package of ₹50,000 crore for the damage caused by floods in the states of north India, enacting a Minimum Support Price (MSP) guarantee law for purchasing all crops based on the Swaminathan Commission report, a complete loan waiver for farmers, giving employment for 200 days per year under MGNREGA, cancelling of police cases registered against farmers during the year-long protest on Delhi’s borders among others.

The key outfits that are participating in the protest include — Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, Bhartiya Kisan Union (Krantikari), BKU Ekta-Azaad, Azad Kisan Committee (Doaba), BKU (Bheramke), BKU (Shaheed Bhagat Singh), BKU (Sir Chotu Ram), Bhartiya Kisan Mazdoor Union, Kisan Maha Panchayat (Haryana), Pagri Sambhal Jatta (Haryana), Azad Kisan Union (Haryana), Progressive Farmers Front, Aathrai Kisan Manch, Bhoomi Bachao Mohim, Joint Kisan Sabha and Rashtriya Kisan Sangathan among others.