In a significant escalation of the ongoing ‘Delhi Chalo’ protest, farmers staged widespread demonstrations on Thursday, causing disruptions on the Delhi-Amritsar rail route and blocking toll plazas in various parts of Punjab. The protests were triggered by the recent actions of Haryana Police against farmers demanding minimum support prices for their crops.
The Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) and BKU Dakunda (Dhaner) had jointly called for a four-hour ‘rail roko’ protest, prompting farmers to occupy rail tracks at multiple locations. The demonstrations commenced around noon and were expected to continue until 4 pm.
Due to the blockade on the main Delhi-Amritsar route, railway authorities were compelled to divert several trains via Chandigarh (towards Delhi) and Lohian Khas (towards Amritsar and Jalandhar). Shatabdi and Shan-e-Punjab Express trains originating from Delhi were terminated at Ludhiana railway station.
Simultaneously, farmers staged dharnas at toll plazas across the region, protesting against the use of tear gas by Haryana Police during the farmers’ march towards the national capital on Tuesday. Toll authorities were compelled to allow commuters to pass without charging toll fees.
Bhartiya Kisan Union leader Harmit Singh Kadian condemned the police action, stating, “We are holding an agitation against the police action on farmers who were trying to go to Delhi.”
In Hoshiarpur, farmers associated with the Doaba Kisan Committee (DKC) led protests at toll plazas on the Jalandhar-Pathankot National Highway. The demonstrators, led by DKC’s state president Jangveer Singh Chauhan, demanded justice for farmers and raised slogans against the Union and Haryana governments.
The ‘Delhi Chalo’ agitation is being spearheaded by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha. The protesters seek to exert pressure on the central government to address their demands, which include legislation on minimum support prices for crops and loan waivers.
The escalation follows clashes between farmers and Haryana Police on Tuesday at two border points between the states. Farmers faced tear gas and water cannons as they attempted to break through barricades blocking their protest march to the national capital.
