News in brief: Farmers in Punjab blocked railway tracks for three days, demanding a law on Minimum Support Price (MSP) and other concessions, causing disruptions to train services. They are also seeking the repeal of three farm laws and compensation for crop damage.
Farmers in Punjab, India, blocked railway tracks on Thursday in a three-day protest to demand a law on assured Minimum Support Price (MSP) and other demands.
Members of 19 different farmers’ outfits squatted and blocked railway tracks at 17 different places across different districts, a news report said. They include Moga, Hoshiarpur, Gurdaspur, Jalandhar, Tarn Taran, Sangrur, Patiala, Ferozepur, Bathinda, and Amritsar.
The protest caused disruption to train services, with several trains delayed or cancelled.
The protesting farmers are demanding a law on assured MSP, a repeal of the three farm laws passed by the central government, and compensation for crop damage caused by heavy rains earlier this year.
They are also warning the state government against unsettling them, saying that they have the support of their Haryana brothers, a North Indian state surrounding New Delhi on 3 sides..
In Ferozepur, farmers from Rajasthan have extended support to the Punjab farmers. They said that the struggle that started on August 21 is now moving forward in the form of rail roko, which is getting full support from the struggling organisations.
However, some farmers alleged that the state government made efforts to prevent them from protesting in August which led to the demise of one of them.
The protest is likely to put further pressure on the state and central governments to address the concerns of the agricultural sector. It comes at a time when the central government is facing criticism for its handling of the agricultural sector. The government has been accused of not doing enough to support farmers and of ignoring their demands.
