Farmers Movement Archive

Wheat harvest done, Punjab farmers head for Delhi border

Despite the Covid-19 curbs, hundreds of Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta-Ugrahan) activists headed for Delhi’s Tikri border via Khanauri on Wednesday after completing the wheat harvest to intensify their struggle against the three laws. Farmer leaders claimed that the Centre was trying to thwart their agitation on the pretext of the pandemic. The protesters were seen without masks and did not observe social distancing. BKU (Ugrahan) chief Joginder Singh Ugrahan said the protesters will intensify the agitation at Tikri on April 22. “The BJP government wants to vacate the protest sites in the name of coronavirus. The government can use any tool like day or night curfew, but we will continue the protest.” Also read: Farmers’ protest: Delhi-Haryana border points remain closedManjit Singh Gharachon, a senior vice-president of BKU (Ugrahan), said, “If there is any coronavirus, it will kill a small number of people. But the laws will kill thousands of people with hunger. We choose to die at the battleground instead of hunger.” The farmers from Malwa assembled at the Khanauri border in cars, mini trucks, Canters and tractor-trolleys. Administration looks the other wayWhen contacted, the Patiala district administration denied any information about the gathering of farmers in large numbers. “It was not in my knowledge. I will ask the SDM concerned to look into the matter. We will act accordingly,” Patiala deputy commissioner Kumar Amit said. Patran sub- divisional magistrate Palika Arora also denied information about the gathering and said, “There is no action against farmers. Neither the administration sent them nor do they march under our supervision.”Sangrur SSP Vivek Sheel Soni said that the area where farmers assembled was not in his jurisdiction.

Hindustan Times

21-04-2021

Chandigarh