Farmers Stage ‘Rail Roko’ Protest Across Punjab, 22 Districts Affected

The protest, which was scheduled from 12 noon to 4 pm, saw farmers occupying railway tracks at 52 locations across 22 districts in Punjab.

Farmers block railway tracks during their 'rail roko' protest, at Devi Das Pura, on the outskirts of Amritsar, March 10. ( Image Source :PTI )

New Delhi: Farmers across Punjab on Sunday staged a 'rail roko' protest called by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha to urge the Centre to address their demands, particularly seeking a legal assurance of minimum support price (MSP).

Farmers raised slogans against the Centre for its failure to acknowledge their demands, causing inconvenience to railway passengers due to disrupted train services, reported PTI.

The protest, which was scheduled from 12 noon to 4 pm, saw farmers occupying railway tracks at 52 locations across 22 districts in Punjab, including Amritsar, Ludhiana, Tarn Taran, Hoshiarpur, Firozpur, Fazilka, Sangrur, Mansa, Moga and Bathinda.

VIDEO | Farmers squat on railway tracks near Uttar Pradesh’s Kafurpur Railway Station as part of a 'rail roko' protest called by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha to press the Centre to accept their demands, including a legal guarantee of… pic.twitter.com/Uoe3sEsrpQ

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Encouraging widespread participation, farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher called upon people to join the protest in significant numbers. Various farmer unions, such as Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan), BKU (Dakaunda-Dhaner), and Krantikari Kisan Union, affiliated with the Samyukta Kisan Morcha, actively engaged in the 'rail roko' agitation, as per the PTI report.

While the SKM, which led the farmers' agitation in 2020-21, is not directly involved in the 'Delhi Chalo' protest, it has extended its support to the ongoing farmers' agitation at Shambhu and Khanauri points along the Punjab-Haryana border.

Spearheaded by the SKM (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mukti Morcha, the 'Delhi Chalo' march aims to press the government to accept their demands.

Apart from the demands for MSP assurance, farmers advocate the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission's recommendations, pension for farmers and laborers, no escalation in electricity charges, resolution of police cases, justice for the Lakhimpur Kheri violence victims, reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act (2013), and compensation for families of deceased farmers from previous agitations.

Since February 13, protesting farmers from Punjab have stationed themselves at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points, after being deterred by security forces from advancing towards Delhi, the PTI report added.

Rejecting the Centre's proposal for a five-year procurement of pulses, maize, and cotton at MSP by government agencies, farmer leaders assert that it does not serve farmers' interests