Joint protest by farm unions on March 28

What is being assumed as the first patch-up move after their five rounds of Ekta talks failed, the three farmer forums have agreed to join hands to hold a protest against the ruling government on March 28.

Advertisement

The development took place after the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) and the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (Non-Politcal) agreed to participate in “Anti-Repression Day” demonstrations being organised by the SKM (All-India) on March 28.

SKM leader Prem Singh Bhangu said the decision was taken at a meeting convened by Joginder Singh Ugrahan, Raminder Singh Patiala, Mukesh Chandra Sharma and Jhanda Singh. Ugrahan and Raminder Singh Patiala said the AAP government acted to suppress the farmers’ movement at the behest of the Centre.

“First, the SKM’s seven-day dharna was torpedoed in Chandigarh. Now, the farmers’ struggle going on at Shambhu and Khanauri has been suppressed through bulldozer action. Leaders and hundreds of farmers have been imprisoned. Farmers’ tractor-trailers and other equipment were heavily damaged,” they said.

In such circumstances, there was a need to end differences and raise a united voice against government repression. The SKM called for demonstrations on March 28 and appealed to both forums and other organisations to participate in that, they added.

They condemned the alleged illegal detention of Jagjit Singh Dallewal and demanded his release. They also demanded that the state government should compensate farmers for the losses incurred by them due to the crackdown at Shambhu and Khanauri. The police had been going soft on the accused caught with stolen tractor-trailers, they alleged.

Meanwhile, Maan Singh Rajpura, state finance secretary of the BKU Sidhupur, Gurdev Singh Jandoli, block president of Rajpura, and Ujagar Singh, vice-president of Rajpura block, who had gone to the hospital to meet Jagjit Singh Dallewal, were nabbed by the Patiala police outside the hospital and taken to an undisclosed location, claimed SKM (Non-Political) leader Gurdeep Singh.

Tight security at Dallewal’s village

Tight police security has been put in place at Dallewal village in Faridkot district as a large number of farmers gather there to support farm leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who has been on a fast for around four months

His family members and residents of Dallewal village have called a state-level meeting, joined by district and block heads, unit leaders and farmer union members from across the state.