Unions to continue protests at toll plazas till release of farmer leaders

Amritsar, August 22

The protest by various farmer unions demanding immediate release of their leaders arrested by the state government to fail the tractor march call given by 16 farmers associations entered its second day here on Tuesday with the protesters continuing with their agitation at toll plazas.

Owing to the protest, staff at the toll plaza did not charge any fee from the commuters. The farmers are protesting at Mannawala and Mannawala toll plazas in Amritsar district and Usma and Mannan toll plazas in Tarn Taran district.

While most of the senior leaders of the protesting farmer unions have either been arrested or detained in their homes, the protesters reiterated that the protest against the arrest of farmer leaders would continue until they were released.

Earlier, 16 farmer unions — nine from Punjab, three from Haryana and one each from Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand — had given a call for tractor march to Chandigarh demanding relief for flood-affected people.

Apart from seeking compensation for loss of crops, damage to houses and deaths due to drowning, the farmers unions had also asked the Central Government to release a special package of Rs 50,000 crore for the states in North India as it had been affected by the floods.

The farmer leaders present at the Mannawala toll plaza alleged that the local police had tried to stop farmer groups from moving towards Chandigarh.

Meanwhile, police officials held meeting with the protesters to persuade them to end their dharnas, but their talks failed. The leaders stated that the protests would continue till all farmers were released. The police also arrested a group of farmers travelling in a bus after which they were sent to Kapurthala jail, claimed farmer leaders.