Shambhu: Thousands of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal, UP, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan farmers to hit ground zero

Mohit Khanna

Shambhu (Patiala), May 21

Thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal, western UP, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan have started assembling at the Shambhu border to mark the 100th day of the agitation tomorrow.

Age no deterrent for them

• Mahinder Singh (98) from Gurdaspur will be among the torchbearers on the 100th day of farmer protest for guaranteed MSP at the Shambhu border on the Delhi-Amritsar highway.
• Exemplifying the indomitable spirit of farmers to protest in this scorching heat, another farmer Raj Singh (85) has come on his bicycle all the way from Gurdaspur to the protest site.

Shubhkaran — face of protest

A special tribute is being planned for the 22 farmers, who have died during the 100-day protest. It includes 22-year-old Shubhkaran Singh, who is a symbol of the protest and his picture is hung in several tents, pandal and tractor-trailers parked at the Shambhu border.

Farmers have started coming to the protest site since morning. Though farmers have set up a big pandal at the ground zero, many small tents have also been erected near the site.

The pandal at the protest site has taken the shape of Pind Di Satth, a common place in villages where people gather for discussion.

The tractor-trailers with tarpaulin sheets, fans and refrigerators have been converted into a home. Though the temperature is around 45 degrees Celsius and the Met Department has issued severe heatwave warning, farm leaders are expecting a gathering of about 40,000 farmers at the site. The Punjab Police, too, have set up nakas for the smooth flow of traffic.

Discussing the strategy for Wednesday, Amarjeet Singh Mohri, president, BKU (Shaheed Bhagat Singh), Haryana, along with Jaat leader Ashok Bulara, said, “We want legal status of the MSP and its fixation according to Dr Swaminathan’s formula C2 plus 50 per cent, total debt waiver of farmers and agri workers, social security of Rs 10,000 per month, justice for Lakhimpur Kheri farmers and crop insurance scheme at government expenses,” said Mohri.