Punjab farmers heading to Chandigarh to begin indefinite protest

Several farm unions under the banner of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) are heading to Chandigarh on Wednesday to start their indefinite agitation over their demands.

As a precaution, the Chandigarh Police have sealed all entry points to the city by deploying heavy security and issued an advisory to commuters to avoid some routes.

Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta-Ughrahan) president Joginder Singh Ughrahan has appealed to the farmers not to block roads, highways and railway tracks as it would create inconvenience to the public.

He advised the farmers to stage sit-in protests on roadsides in case they are stopped from moving ahead. He appealed to all farmer unions to lodge the protest in a strong way by joining "Pakka Morcha" in Chandigarh, where the administration has not yet allotted a site for the protest.

Official sources said the farmers would be stopped at the city's entry points.

The SKM has accused the Punjab government of suppressing their right to protest. Besides the implementation of the agriculture policy, the demands of the SKM include the release of land distribution to landless labourers and farmers and debt waiver of farmers and labourers.

Hours after the talks between the Punjab government, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, and the SKM failed on Monday, raids were being conducted at houses of farmer leaders, including Ugrahan.

Talks to discuss farmers' demands broke down midway with farmer leaders claiming that a "livid" chief minister "walked out of the meeting in a huff without a provocation".

After the meeting, the SKM leaders announced that they would go ahead with their call for a massive sit-in protest in Chandigarh. With inputs from IANS