Ludhiana farmers block NH for two hours to protest police action in Karnal

Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, August 29

In response to a call given by the ‘Sanyukt Kisan Morcha’ (SKM) to block highways for two hours (12 noon to 2 pm) in protest against lathicharge by the police on protesting farmers in Karnal, activists of the Bharti Kisan Union – Ekta Ugrahan (BKU) today squatted on Ferozepur Road (NH-95) near MBD Mall.

With the highway under siege by the farmers, commuters and travellers of public and private vehicles had a harrowing time. Several people, including women and children, who were carrying their luggage, were seen walking past the point where farmers were squatting on the road, to change passenger vehicles on the other side of the road to reach their destinations.

The protesting farmers condemned the BJP government in Haryana, and an IAS official in particular for the indiscriminate lathicharge and manhandling of farmers in Karnal.

They said such repressive measures to deal with peaceful protests by farmers in Haryana, Delhi or anywhere else would backfire and the farmers would continue their agitation till their demand for revocation of three farm laws was accepted.

BKU leaders Sudgar Singh Ghudani, Charan Singh Noorpura, Nirmal Singh, Sukhpreet Majri, Teerath Singh, Harjeet Kaur, Ranbir Kaur, Pawandeep, Inderjit and others came down heavily upon the Haryana bureaucrat for his orders to deal with the protesting farmers mercilessly while demanding that such officials should be dismissed for their misconduct.

They made it clear to the Centre and other state governments that the farmers would relentlessly continue their agitation till acceptance of their demand and if any government or officials believe that use of force could deter them, they were mistaken.

“We shall rebound with more zeal if pushed to the wall,” Ghudani said.

Outfits stage protest

Mandi Ahmedgarh/ Payal/ Raikot: To protest against the lathicharge on farmers at Karnal in Haryana on Saturday, office-bearers and activists of constituent outfits of the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha blocked traffic on highways and link roads of the region from 12 noon to 2 pm on Sunday.

The police remained on toes, diverting traffic to alternative routes at Payal, Bassian, Lehra, Kila Raipur and Bhogiwal, where office-bearers and activists of Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU)- Ekta Ugrahan, BKU-Dakaunda, All India Kisan Sabha and Zamhoori Kisan Union had organised dharnas to express their anger against the Haryana Government.

They lamented that the Haryana Police had brutally lathicharged peacefully demonstrating farmers, just to appease Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, thus exhibiting enmity against poor farmers of the nation.

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