Farmers Movement Archive

Punjab CM Channi seeks withdrawal of railways cases against farmers

Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Saturday urged the chairman of the Railway Board to withdraw cases registered by the Railway Protection Force against members of farmers’ organisations.Thousands of farmers, farm labourers, commission agents and others blocked the railway tracks in at least six districts of Punjab against the Central government’s contentious agriculture bills on the first day of the three-day-long ‘rail roko’ protest.The chief minister has impressed upon the Railway Board chairman to take a sympathetic view of the matter and consider the withdrawal of cases against members of various farmers’ organisations, a spokesperson of the Chief Minister’s Office said.The RPF had registered 30 cases against the farmers’ organisations in 2020 and 2021 during the ‘dharnas’ staged by them on the railway tracks in Punjab, agitating against the three farm laws, the CMO informed. On Friday, Channi had asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to resolve the matter of farmers’ protest and resume dialogue with the agitating farmers. “I asked the PM to resolve the matter of farmers’ protest and resume dialogue with the protesting farmers. I demanded that the three laws should be withdrawn,” he told reporters here after the meeting. The farmers from all across the country, mainly from the states of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have been protesting against the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act passed by Parliament last year.

Hindustan Times

03-10-2021

India