Farmers protest: Samyukta Kisan Morcha to hold meeting in Chandigarh

Chandigarh: The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), which spearheaded an agitation in 2020-21 against three farm laws that have since been repealed, will hold a meeting here on Thursday to discuss the situation at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana where thousands of farmers are camping as part of the "Delhi Chalo" call given by their organisations.

Several SKM leaders from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and other states have assembled here for the meeting.

Bharti Kisan Union (Lakhowal) general secretary Harinder Singh Lakhowal said the SKM will discuss what happened at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points on Wednesday.

Besides, the farmers' body will also take a decision on how to support the ongoing agitation, Lakhowal added.

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) are spearheading the "Delhi Chalo" march to press the BJP-led Centre to accept their demands, including a legal guarantee on the minimum support price (MSP) for crops and farm loan waiver.

However, the SKM is not a part of the "Delhi Chalo" march.

Farmer leaders put the march on hold for two days on Wednesday after a protester was killed and about 12 police personnel were injured in clashes at Khanauri.

The deceased farmer was identified as Shubhkaran Singh (21), a resident of Ballo village in Bathinda district of Punjab.

Police fired tear-gas shells at the two border points multiple times to disperse the protesters when they attempted to move towards the layers of barricades stalling their march to the national capital.

Thousands of farmers are camping at Khanauri and Shambhu with their tractor-trolleys and trucks.

Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said on Wednesday that they will decide the next course of action on Friday evening.

The Punjab farmers are also demanding the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission's recommendations, pension for farmers and farm labourers, no hike in the electricity tariff, withdrawal of police cases and "justice" for the victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence in Uttar Pradesh, reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013 and compensation to the families of the farmers who died during the agitation against the three farm laws in 2020-21.