New Delhi: Rail services along the Delhi-Amritsar route were disrupted on Thursday as farmers staged protests on the tracks in Punjab, diverting several trains, news agency PTI reported. The demonstrations were in response to the recent actions taken by Haryana Police against ‘Delhi Chalo’ protesters.
Farmers affiliated with Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) and BKU Dakunda (Dhaner) initiated a four-hour ‘rail roko’ protest at multiple locations across Punjab, starting around noon, PTI reported.
To accommodate the demonstrations, railway authorities redirected train routes via Chandigarh (toward Delhi) and Lohian Khas (toward Amritsar and Jalandhar). Notably, trains such as the Shatabdi and Shan-e-Punjab Express from Delhi were also terminated at Ludhiana railway station.
In addition to the railway protests, farmers, responding to the call from Samyukta Kisan Morcha, gathered at various toll plazas. They demanded justice for farmers and protested against the use of tear gas by Haryana Police during previous protests towards the national capital.
"We are protesting against the unjust treatment of farmers by the police," said Bhartiya Kisan Union leader Harmit Singh Kadian, emphasising the need to address farmers' grievances.
Meanwhile, in Hoshiarpur, farmers led by Jangveer Singh Chauhan, state president of Doaba Kisan Committee (DKC), staged protests at toll plazas along the Jalandhar-Pathankot National Highway. The demonstrators voiced their discontent with the Union and Haryana governments, calling for fairness and support for farmers.
The ongoing agitation, led by Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, aims to pressure the government to fulfil the farmers' demands, including legislation on minimum support price (MSP) for crops and debt relief.
Clashes broke out between farmers and Haryana Police at border points between the states, with farmers facing tear gas and water cannons as they attempted to bypass barricades en route to the national capital on Tuesday.