Farmers Movement Archive

Delhi: Holding Tricolour, 50-odd locals ask farmers to vacate the road

NEW DELHI: Around 50 people holding the Tricolour in their hands staged a protest near the police barricades at Singhu border on Thursday. The protesters, who claimed they were residents of the neighbouring villages, demanded that the agitating farmers vacate the road, the site of their movement for over two months. The group claimed not only to be facing daily inconveniences due to the closure of the border, but were also aggrieved by the farmers “insulting the national flag. Soon after the villagers arrived at Singhu border, a few farmers formed a human chain near the barricading. Jagmandeep Singh, a farmer from Ropar, said, “The human chain was a precautionary measure. We stood between our farmers and the protesters because we did not want them to clash. After the turn of events on January 26, we didn’t want to take any risk.” While Gursab Singh of Amritsar, alleged that the locals had been spurred to protest by the central government and the farmers would cease their movement, local resident Satendra Kumar of Khempur village, said, “We want the farmers to vacate Singhu border as their stir has affected the traffic movement here for two months. We also felt hurt when the farmers hoisted another flag atop Red Fort. We will continue to protest till the farmers return to their villages.”Another local, Amit Kumar, had a specific grievance. “I own a grocery shop in Bakholi village,” Kumar said. “The farmers’ agitation has affected supplies for my shop since they mostly come from wholesalers in Haryana.” Asked on why the locals were objecting to the farm strike after two months, Suresh Singh said, “I live in Narela, but work in a farmhouse near Singhu border. I now have to walk an extra 2km to reach my work place. Moreover, we do not want to support farmers after the violence they indulged in on Republic Day.” The angry locals also claimed they had gone to meet the farmers to request them to call off their protests, but they had refused to hear them out. Later in the day, Vishnu Gupta of Hindu Sena claimed that his organisation, along with locals, had staged the protest at Singhu border. However, when TOI spoke to Suresh, he denied the role of Hindu Sena in Thursday’s protest.

The Times of India

2021-01-29

Delhi