Farmers Movement Archive

‘Rail roko’ on October 18 if minister isn’t sacked: Farmers

AGRA: For six hours on October 18, farmers in “every district” will be out on railway tracks, staging a blockade in protest against “no action” being taken against Union minister Ajay Mishra in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence, farmer leaders under the aegis of Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) said on Thursday. The minister has been accused of criminal conspiracy by farmers and his son has been arrested after being booked for killing four farmers and a journalist. “Between 10am and 4pm on Monday, protesters will stop trains across the country,” Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) spokesperson Rakesh Tikait said at a private event in Aligarh on Thursday. Asked about the plan, Tikait told TOI, “Farmers from every district will stage blockades on their nearest rail lines. Minister Mishra has been accused of criminal conspiracy but he has not been summoned, nor has he been asked to step down. His son was arrested, but after a lot of delay. We won’t get justice if he remains in office. So, unless he is sacked, we are going ahead with our rail roko.” On October 3, farmers at Banbirpur in Lakhimpur Kheri were preparing for a black flag protest against minister Ajay Mishra and deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya when Mishra’s convoy allegedly ran over protesters, killing four farmers and a journalist. The violence escalated and two BJP workers and a driver were also killed, allegedly by protesters. Farmers have further alleged that the killings were “planned” while Mishra has maintained that it was an “accident” that followed “protesters pelting stones at the convoy”. Preparations for the rail roko have begun. “In Punjab, we have identified 36 points for our blockade. We will make sure no train from any state passes through these points,” said Jagmohan Singh, state general secretary of BKU (Dakaunda) in Punjab and working member of All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee. In UP’s Mathura, hundreds have been asked to turn up at each station. “About 600 people have been asked to gather at Raya station and nearly 400 at Mathura junction to stop trains. This was decided at a district-level meeting on Wednesday,” said Raj Kumar Tomar, district president of BKU (Ambavata) in Mathura. “Police have deployed PAC outside villages. We think it’s with the protest in mind.” The finer details of the plan for Monday’s rail roko will be drawn out on Friday. “We will decide on the details tomorrow (Friday). Our intention is to convey to the government that the agitation will continue until the minister is removed,” Harvinder Singh, president of BKU’s Uttarakhand youth unit, told TOI. Farmer leaders had earlier announced their protest plan if the minister was not sacked by October 12 — burning effigies of senior BJP leaders, rail roko and a mahapanchayat in Lucknow on October 26.

The Times of India

2021-10-15

India