Farmers Movement Archive

On Lohri, copies of farm laws set afire in Punjab, Haryana

Bathinda/Jind/Jalandhar/Patiala: Upping the ante against the contentious farm laws on Lohri, farmers burnt copies of the three acts at hundreds of places across Punjab, Haryana and at protest sites on the borders of Delhi on Wednesday. Calling the laws “death warrants”, farmers threw copies of the laws into bonfires lit to observe the festival. Like Dussehra, when effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with heads of two corporates were burnt, photos of the PM and the same heads of corporates, were thrown into fire as they pledged to continue protests against the laws. Students and members of bar associations also set afire copies of the laws in Patiala and Jalandhar. “For us, the meaning of festivals has been lost since June 5, 2020, when the three ordinances were issued. Today, we have been forced to observe Lohri in anger,” said Gurbachan Singh, a farmer who has been protesting at Barnala railway station. Samyukt Kisan Morcha leaders too burnt the copies of the law at Delhi border. In Jind, farmer outfits, khaps and women protested at Khatkar toll plaza on the Jind-Patiala highway. After the protest, they burnt copies of the laws. Farmers said the entire world, gradually, was coming forward to extend support to farmers and 15 countries had supported the Indian farming community. Khera khap president Satbir Pahalwan said opposition to Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s event in Karnal had shown that opposition to the laws had become a “jan aandolan” (people’s movement” and the BJP should take it seriously to avoid any consequences. “PM Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah are assuming there are few farmers who are protesting, but reality is the opposite. Sooner or later, the government will have to repeal these laws,” he added. In Jalandhar, activists of Bharti Kisan Union (Rajewal) burnt the copies in front of district administration complex. Members of Jalandhar District Bar Association also burnt the laws. Acts were also brunt at Desh Bhagat Yaadgaar Hall, where members of Bahujan Samaj Front also participated. In Company Bagh Chowk, members of Sikh Talmel Committee and Punjab Youth Organisation burnt posters of BJP leaders Harjit Grewal and Surjit Kumar Jiyani along with copies of the laws. At Patiala’s Punjabi University, students organised street plays against the laws and also burnt their copies on campus. Krantikari Kisan Union vice-president Harbhajan Buttar also joined the students and addressed them about the farmers agitation. Punjab Radical Student Union (PRSU), All India Research Scholars Association (AIRSA) and Democratic Students Organisation (DSO) leaders organised the event. “Students will join the farmers’ agitation for January 26 in Delhi,” said PRSU leader Sandeep Kaur.

The Times of India

2021-01-14

Chandigarh