Rail Roko: Train movements hit in Punjab as farmers squat on tracks

CHANDIGARH: Movement of trains was affected in Punjab on Sunday after agitating farmers squatted on tracks at over 70 places in the state as part of a nationwide ‘rail roko’ protest.

The protest, called by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) to press the Centre to accept their demands, including a legal guarantee of minimum support price, was held from 12 noon till 4 pm.

In Haryana, many farmers were detained by the police in Dabwali and Ellenabad as they headed to the protest sites.

“Till a concrete resolution is offered by the government to our demands, we will continue our struggle,” said KMM general secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher.

The ongoing sit-in at the Shambhu border continued. Farmer leaders Pandher and Jagjit Singh Dallewal claimed that their ‘rail roko’ agitation was successful. They said the protest was held at 75 locations in Punjab, five in Haryana, three each in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan and 20 locations in Tamil Nadu.

SKM coordinator Dallewal said the agitation shows that farmers across the country are part of this protest.