12 years on, reclaim lost space in City Beautiful

Vishav Bharti

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 26

More than 12 years after the entry of protesters in Chandigarh was banned, the farmers of Punjab, led by leaders of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha, today reclaimed the lost space.

After 2009, it was for the first time that such a large number of farmers were

seen marching on the roads of Chandigarh as they were on their way to the Raj Bhawan to hand over a memorandum to the Governor of Punjab. Before this, such a large march of farmers was witnessed on roads of Chandigarh in 2009 when the BKU (Ugrahan), along with other farmers’ unions, protested the privatisation of the PSPCL. When the police tried to stop them from heading towards the Raj Bhawan, it led to bloody clashes. It ended in injuries to a large number of farmers and policemen, and 42 farmer leaders were booked under various sections.

Following that protest, the entry of any protester was banned in Chandigarh. Only rallies were allowed in the rally ground in Sector 25, which unions would often equate with “shouting to the dead” due to the proximity of the space to the cremation ground. But the march organised today seemed to have demolished the barricades erected over a decade back.

“We have reclaimed the lost space. It is our capital, we will decide on which spot we want to hold protest at,” says farmer leader Manjit Dhaner of the BKU (Dakunda).