To protest the death of a 21-year-old farmer on the Punjab-Haryana Khanauri border, the farmers will observe 'Black Friday' on Friday, said Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait. The farmers would also take out tractor marches along the highways across the country on February 26 in support of their demands. An All-India All Kisan Mazdoor Mahapanchayat has also been planned at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi on March 14.
The farmers under the banner of Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) will also burn effigies of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar, and state Home Minister Anil Vij. The SKM on Thursday demanded that the Haryana Chief Minister and the Haryana Home Minister be booked for the "murder" of a protesting farmer. The SKM, which spearheaded the 2020-21 farm agitation against the now-repealed farm laws, is not part of the Delhi Chalo agitation but has extended support to it. On whether they would join the ongoing protests, SKM leaders said they would hold its agitation independently.
Subhkaran Singh, 21, a native of Bathinda, had died Wednesday amid clashes between Haryana Police and Punjab farmers.
"We will observe a 'Black Friday' tomorrow, mourning the death of a farmer at the Khanauri Border crossing in Punjab. We held a tractor march yesterday as well," Tikait told ANI.
He added that the tractor march planned for February 26 would be a one-day event. "On February 26, we will take tractors to the highway, and towards the way that goes to Delhi. It will be a one-day programme, and then we will return. Then, all across India, our meetings will go on. On March 14, there will be a programme at Ram Leela Ground in Delhi for one day. People will go without tractors to that event. The government keeps saying that they are not stopping us, so let's see if they will stop us or not," he added.
Meanwhile, Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said the Punjab government is yet to respond to them despite promising to meet all their demands. "Dialogues were held with the Punjab Government after the death of Shubhkaran Singh. All our demands were accepted, that a murder case be filed against those who attacked him. We also demanded that the Punjab Government give the status of 'martyr' to Shubhkaran Singh, hold talks with his family on the compensation and a board be constituted for his postmortem and its videography. They agreed to this but it has been over 14 hours now and the Punjab Government is not giving any answer," Pandher said.
He added that Shubhkaran's body was still in the hospital and the Punjab Government was insulting the martyrdom of thier martyr. "They are saying that the site of the incident will have to be investigated - whether it is located in Punjab or Haryana. I don't think we will be able to perform the last rites of Shubhkaran Singh as of now. The dialogues with the Punjab Government are yet to complete," Pandher said.
Meanwhile, the SKM leader Balbir Singh Rajewal who held talks with other farmer leaders said a case of "murder" should be registered against Khattar and Vij and the two must resign.
Farmer leaders also demanded a judicial inquiry by a judge of the Supreme Court in the matter and Rs 1 crore in compensation to the farmer's family.
Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) president Joginder Singh Ugrahan condemned the "repression" of farmers sitting at Shambhu and Khanauri border points by the Haryana government. "We have decided to burn the effigies of Home Minister Amit Shah, Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar and Haryana Home Minister Anil Shah," Ugrahan said.
