Farmers' agitation: Will decide next course of action on 29 Feb, say farmer leaders

Farmers protesting to press the Centre for their various demands will stay put at the two protest sites on the Punjab-Haryana border till February 29 when the next course of action will be decided, their leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said on Friday, 23 February.

A decision to this effect was taken Friday evening by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM), which are spearheading the ongoing agitation at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders.

"The next announcement about the agitation will be made on 29 February," KMM leader Pandher told the media at Khanauri protest site.

He also shared details about how the protesting farmers will spend their next few days: a candle march will be held on 24 February, seminars will be organised on issues related to farmers on 25 February, effigies of the World Trade Organization and the Centre will be burnt on 26 February, and several meetings of SKM (Non-Political) and KMM will be held over the next two days.

Farmer leaders Wednesday, 21 February put the 'Delhi Chalo' march on hold for two days after a protester was killed and about 12 police personnel were injured in clashes at Khanauri.

Shubhkaran Singh (21), a native of Bathinda, was killed and 12 police personnel were injured in clashes at the Khanauri protest site on Wednesday. The incident took place when some protesting farmers were trying to head towards barricades.

Pandher said the SKM (Non-Political) and the KMM will hold a candle march on 24 February at the two border points.

Among other things, the protesting farmers are demanding the agriculture sector be taken out of the World Trade Organisation agreement. Pandher said seminars will be organised on the subject at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points on 25 February.

On 26 February, farmers will burn effigies of the WTO and also of the Centre, said Pandher.

He further said a meeting of the forums associated with the SKM and KMM will be held on 27 February at the two border points. A common meeting of SKM and KMM forums will take place on 28 February, he added.

Farmer leaders are also at the loggerheads with the Punjab government over the issue of the registration of an FIR in the death of Shubhkaran Singh.

On Friday, they said the cremation will not take place till the state government registers a case against those who were responsible for his death.

They also slammed the Punjab Police for expressing its inability in filing an FIR against security personnel from Haryana whom the protesters hold responsible for Shubhkaran Singh's death.

They were also demanding the state government accord him the 'martyr' status.

The development came hours after Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced a compensation of Rs 1 crore and a government job for Singh's sister.

Singh's body was kept in a mortuary of Rajindra Hospital in Patiala but the post-mortem was delayed as the farmers pressed for acceptance of their demands.

Speaking to reporters in Patiala earlier during the day, Pandher said the Punjab CM had himself claimed that stringent action would be taken against those responsible for the death of the young farmer.

But now his officials are saying that it was not possible, said Pandher.

The SKM (Non-Political) and the KMM are spearheading the 'Delhi Chalo' march to press the government to accept their demands, including a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price for crops and a farm loan waiver.

Thousands of farmers have been camping at Khanauri and Shambhu borders with their tractor-trolleys and trucks agitating for their demands.

The Punjab farmers are also demanding the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission's recommendations, pension for farmers and farm labourers, no hike in electricity tariff, withdrawal of police cases and "justice" for the victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence, reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013, and compensation to the families of the farmers who died during a previous agitation in 2020-21.