Hoshiarpur: Movement of several trains was affected across Punjab on Thursday after farmers squatted on the tracks as part of their two-hour ‘rail roko’ protest in support of various demands, including justice in the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri incident.
The protest, which was organised by Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, began at 12.30 pm.
It marked the third anniversary of the Lakhimpur Kheri incident in which eight people, including four farmers, were killed in 2021 during a demonstration against the now-repealed three farm laws.
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The protesting farmers also demanded a legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP) on crops, loan waiver, implementation of the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations, and punishment of those responsible for the Lakhimpur Kheri incident among others.
In Amritsar, farmers squatted on the Amritsar-Delhi rail track near the Manawala railway station. Officials said several trains between the two cities had to be diverted.
Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) convener Sarwan Singh Pandher demanded justice in the Lakhimpur Kheri incident and accused both the state and the central governments of adopting an indifferent approach towards farmers by not paying heed to their long pending demands.
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It marked the third anniversary of the Lakhimpur Kheri incident in which eight people, including four farmers, were killed in 2021 during a demonstration against the now-repealed three farm laws.
The protesting farmers also demanded a legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP) on crops, loan waiver, implementation of the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations, and punishment of those responsible for the Lakhimpur Kheri incident among others.
In Amritsar, farmers squatted on the Amritsar-Delhi rail track near the Manawala railway station. Officials said several trains between the two cities had to be diverted.
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Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) convener Sarwan Singh Pandher demanded justice in the Lakhimpur Kheri incident and accused both the state and the central governments of adopting an indifferent approach towards farmers by not paying heed to their long pending demands.
Their protest caused a goods train en route to Pathankot to halt at Mukerian railway station.
Members of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, led by district president Paramjit Singh Bhulla, also staged a ‘dharna’ on the rail track at Tanda railway station while those from the Ganna Sangharsh Committee held a sit-in at Dasuya railway station platform.
In Ludhiana, farmers sat on rail tracks at Sahnewal and Phillaur railway stations. Due to the protest, the Durg-Udhampur and New Delhi-Lohian Khas express trains were halted at Ludhiana railway station.
The Amarpali-Katiyar Express and Indore-Katra Express were stopped at Khanna and Doraha railway stations, said officials.
