Farmers To Observe ‘Black Day’ Over Protester’s Death, Tractor Marches Across India On Feb 26 | Top Points

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) on Thursday demanded the registration of a murder case over the death of a protesting farmer at the Punjab-Haryana border and announced a ‘Black Day’ on Friday and a tractor march on February 26 to condemn the incident.

22-year-old protesting farmer, Subhkaran Singh, died on Wednesday amid clashes between Haryana Police and Punjab farmers. Farmers had put their ‘Delhi Chalo’ protest march on hold for two days after the incident, which had left at least 12 other peasants injured.

The SKM, after a meeting in Chandigarh, said farmers will take out tractor marches on highways across the country on February 26 and hold a Mahapanchayat in Delhi on March 14. It said the farmers on Friday will burn effigies of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and his Haryana counterpart Anil Vij to condemn the police action.

The farmer leaders had, on last Sunday, rejected a government proposal in the fourth round of talks, leading to the resumption of the protest. One of the farmer leaders on Thursday said they rejected a fresh invite for talks from the Centre

Farmer leader Abhimanyu Kohar said, “We had received an invitation for talks last evening but we rejected it. On the one hand, our youth is facing bullets and on the other hand, the government says that it wants to talk. In such an environment, it is not possible. We are ready for talks but first the government has to improve the situation.”

Farmers from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on February 13 morning began their ‘Delhi Chalo’ march to press for their demands, amid heavy barricading at Haryana-Punjab border and entry points into the National Capital. However, most of them were stopped by security personnel at Shambhu and Khanauri points on Punjab’s border with Haryana. The protesters have stayed put at the two border points since then.

Over 200 farmers’ unions, including the Samyukta Kisan Morcha and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, are taking part in the march to press the Centre to accept their demands.

Besides a legal guarantee of MSP, the farmers are demanding the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations, pension for farmers and farm labourers, farm debt waiver, no hike in electricity tariff, withdrawal of police cases and “justice” for the victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence, reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013, and compensation to the families of the farmers who died during a previous agitation in 2020-21.

Here are the latest developments in the farmers’ protest

• A case of murder should be registered over the death of the farmer at Khanauri border and his family be given Rs 1 crore in compensation, SKM leader Balbir Singh Rajewal told reporters here. Subhkaran Singh, a native of Bathinda district, was brought dead at a hospital from Khanauri on the Sangrur-Jind border.
• The government is hopeful of a resolution on the farmers’ protest much before the commencement of the wheat procurement season from March, Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra said on Thursday.
• Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said they will decide the next course of action on Friday evening.
• Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Balbir Singh Rajyawal said on March 14, ‘mahapanchayat’ of farmers will be held at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi.
• From tomorrow, there will be demonstrations every day, said farmer leader Rakesh Tikait.
• The Delhi Assembly on Thursday expressed its condolences regarding the death of 21-year-old Shubhkaran Singh during farmers’ protest on the Punjab-Haryana border, calling it “very painful”.
• Farmer leader Tikait said, “On February 26, we will take tractors to the highway, towards the way that goes to Delhi, we will enter into the state highway and central highway. It will be a one-day programme and then we will return. Then all across India, our meetings will go on.
• He said, “On March 14, there will be a programme at Ramlila ground in Delhi for one day. People will go without tractors to that event.”
• The SKM, which spearheaded the 2020-21 farmers’ protest against the Centre’s now repealed three farm laws, was not a part of the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march earlier and was only supporting it. On Thursday, it jumped into the agitation.
• The Congress on Thursday escalated its attack on the BJP-led Centre over the farmers’ protest and demanded that a special session of Parliament be convened to discuss the pressing issues of the tillers. The opposition party also urged the Punjab government to convene a similar session of the state assembly to deliberate on the issue.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said his government was giving priority to every aspect linked to villages and also focusing on improving the lives of small farmers through various schemes and initiatives.