Farmers Movement Archive

Farmers hold tractor march in Patiala, remove barricades

Patiala: Intensifying their protest against the land acquisition for Delhi-Amritsar-Katra expressway and other national highways in Punjab, a large number of farmers took out a tractor march in Patiala on Friday. They blocked various roads and chowks after removing several police barricades while trying to gherao the chief minister’s residence in the heart of city. The farmers are protesting against the lesser compensation being offered to them than the prevailing market rate for their land being acquired for the expressway. They had announced to hold a tractor march in Patiala over a week ago. Police said there were around 3,000 farmers and around 300 tractors in the protest. Delhi-Katra Expressway Kisan Sangharsh Committee (DKEKSC) coordinator Harmanpreet Singh Jeji said, “We had blocked the YPS Chowk and Officer Colony road, Sular Chowk, Moti Bagh Gurdwara, Fountain Chowk and Thikriwala Chowk by sitting in protest for an indefinite period. Farmers coming from Sirhind have been stopped by police near Dukhniwaran Sahib Gurdwara. There are more than 10,000 farmers and 1,000 tractors. We cancelled the tractor march as police failed to provide us route for a protest march.” However, police claimed that farm leaders hoodwinked them by claiming that they wanted to discuss the road map for tractor march before its start at 11.30am but they march towards the CM’s residence before 9am. Officials claimed that two cops on duty were injured after farmers broke barricades with tractors. A senior cop said that Civil Lines SHO Gurpreet Singh had to lie down on the road to stop the protesters from proceeding towards the CM’s residence. SDM Patiala Charanjit Singh said, “We have arranged a meeting of farmers with a panel of state government under FCR and cabinet minister for Tuesday. We also appealed to them against holding a road blockade as it could harm Covid patients and hit supply of oxygen. Two cops were injured and have been hospitalised. No case has been registered so far.” The protesting farmers other demands include that state government halt the land acquisition process till the issue of three central farm laws is resolved and farmers agitating at Delhi borders are back. Around two months back, DKEKSC members had joined hands with a farm front protesting near Tikri border of Delhi under the banner of Bharat Bhumi Bachao Sangharsh Committee (BBBSC). BBBSC president Ramesh Dalal joined the protest here on Friday.

The Times of India

2021-05-01

Chandigarh