'Rail Roko' protest in Punjab and Haryana over Lakhimpur Kheri incident and MSP guarantee
Farmers in Punjab and Haryana held a 'Rail Roko' protest on Thursday, marking three years since the Lakhimpur Kheri incident and demanding justice for the farmers who died. Organized by Samyukta Kisan Morcha and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, the protest also called for legal guarantees of Minimum Support Price
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Many protesters shared videos and photos of the 'Rail Roko Andolan' on social media, demanding justice for the farmers who lost their lives in the Lakhimpur Kheri incident. Protests were held in cities such as Amritsar, Ludhiana, Hoshiarpur, and Ambala. Trains affected by the protest included the Ludhiana-Ferozepur Cantt Express, Ferozepur Cantt-Ludhiana Express, Surya Nagari Express, Durg-Jammu Tawi Special, Amritsar-Jaynagar Shaheed Express, Amritsar-Ajmer Express, Pune-Jammu Tawi Jhelum Express, Jamnagar-Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Express, and Jammu Tawi-Ahmedabad Express.
लखीमपुर_खीरी नरसंहार में शहीद हुए किसानों के लिए इन्साफ की ज़ंग जारी है,
— ashokdanoda (@ashokdanoda) October 3, 2024
अंबाला के गाँव मोहडा में BKU शहीद भगत सिंह का आज रेल चक्का जाम किया ।
आज 12.30 से 2.30 बजे तक रेल का चक्का जाम है। #FarmerProtest #justice4lakhimpurfarmer pic.twitter.com/ScASDjEJYa
In 2021, during protests against three agricultural laws, eight people, including four farmers, were killed in Lakhimpur, Uttar Pradesh. Farmer organizations are demanding that the culprits of the Lakhimpur Kheri incident be punished. They are also asking for a legal guarantee of MSP on crops, loan waivers, and the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission's recommendations.
Speaking to reporters, Sarwan Singh Pandher, convenor of the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, stated that the farmers do not have any personal issues with any government. Their only demand is that the long-pending issues of the farmers be addressed. Until their demands are met, they will continue their opposition against the ruling parties.
Pandher also criticized BJP MP Kangana Ranaut and Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu, accusing them of speaking against farmers. He mentioned that before the Lok Sabha elections, Ravneet Bittu used to support farmers, but now speaks against them under BJP's influence. He also criticized Kangana Ranaut for making uninformed statements about farmers.
Pandher added that although the government talks about MSP, there has been no actual procurement from farmers in Haryana and Punjab. He warned that if the central and state governments do not address the demands of commission agents and labor unions in time, farmers will join the movement and participate in a strike along with them.
