Tribune Reporters
Jalandhar/Bathinda, feb 18
As part of the nationwide ‘rail roko’ stir against the central agricultural laws, various farm unions in the Doaba region today blocked trains at Kala Bakra, Phillaur, Phagwara, Kartarpur and Nizamdinpur and Jalandhar Cantonment railway stations.
In Jalandhar, along with a group of farmers, Bhartiya Kisan Union (Rajewal) leader Kashmiri Lal climbed atop the Kalka Express to begin the rail blockade.
SAD workers also joined the stir and organised sit-ins at various railway stations to express their support to the call given by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM). Farmers from the region blocked railway tracks here from 12 noon to 4 pm. While farmers under the banner of the Doaba Kisan Sangharsh Committee observed the ‘rail roko’ protest near the Kala Bakra railway station, BKU activists blocked trains at the Jalandhar railway station.
Doaba Kisan Sangharsh Committee president Harsulinder Singh said 700-800 persons, including farmers and labourers, protested to support the farmers in their struggle. “Around 472 organisations have been protesting at Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur borders, but the central government has turned a blind eye towards their genuine demands,” said Harsulinder.
In Bathinda district, members of various farm unions blocked railway tracks at different locations.
Farmers under the banner of BKU (Ugrahan) blocked tracks on the Bathinda-Jind railway line near Bhai Bakhtaur village, Bathinda-Ambala line near Bhucho Mandi, Bathinda-Ferozepur line at Goniana Mandi and Bathinda-Bikaner line in the Sangat mandi area.
“From the obdurate stance adopted by the central government, it is clear that it wants to forcibly impose the anti-farmer laws on us. But with the massive support for the farm agitation both in the country and overseas, spirits of the farming community are quite high and we will not leave Delhi borders until the government revokes these laws. We exhort each and every section of society to extend their whole-hearted support to the movement,” said Harjinder Baggi, a farm union leader.
In Mansa, farmers and other organisations joined hands to take part in the ‘rail roko’ agitation. BKU (Ugrahan) leader Ram Singh Bhaini Bhagha said: “We got a massive response to the ‘rail roko’ stir and people from all walks of life, including a large number of women, participated in the agitation. Now we have given a state wide call for a massive kisan-mazdoor rally in Barnala on February 21.”
The rail traffic, to and from Rajasthan, was affected as farmers and trade union activists on Thursday blocked the Sriganganagar-Abohar-Bathinda track for four hours by staging a dharna at the Abohar railway station.
Sarpanch Union president Manoj Godara said the Union Government had been callous to farmers and labourers, who had been camping at the Delhi border for the past three months. On the call of the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha, farmers and workers had decided to stage a dharna at the local station from 12 pm to 4 pm, he said.
The protesters, who carried the banners of Krantikari Farmers Union, All-India Kisan Sabha, Dehati Mazdoor Sabha, Bhartiya Kisan Union, Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Samiti, PSPCL Technical Services Union and other organisations, shouted slogans against the Prime Minister and other BJP leaders.
Farmer leader Subhash Godara said the “anti-farmers” laws would benefit the corporate houses. If these laws came into force, it would destroy not only the farmers, but also the labourers, artisans and the working class. In Muktsar, a large number of farmers today squatted on railway tracks to lodge their protest against the central government. Notably, the train service has been suspended in Muktsar since the outbreak of Covid-19. The farmers’ protest lasted for nearly four hours.
(With inputs from Abohar & Muktsar)