According to the Indian Express reported on the 19th, on Monday (October 18), hundreds of farmers poured into punjab on multiple sections of railway and blocked the tracks in response to the call of India's "United Farmers Front" (Samyukt Kisan Morcha). The group has been leading the protest against Three controversial agricultural bills in India, and the event was to protest a killing in Lakhimpur Kheri District in Uttar Pradesh and demand the expulsion of Ajay Mishra, a BJP mp believed to be responsible for the incident, from the federal cabinet.
The Indian Express reports with picture
In Punjab, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the group held "rail parades" at 108 locations. On the Ludhiana-Ferozepur and Ferozepur-Fazilka railway lines, protests began as early as between 5 and 8 a.m., as farmers gathered early near the tracks. The protests led to the cancellation of four trains, including the Chandigarh-New Delhi Express, while 14 express and four passenger trains were blocked by protester farmers on different sections from 9.45am to late afternoon.
The report pointed out that the killings in Rakimpurkeri District in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh occurred on October 3. Uttar Pradesh police mentioned the name of Federal Minister Ajay Mishra in their preliminary investigative report. So far, however, he has not been arrested or removed from the Federal Cabinet. Ruldu Singh Mansa, chairman of the Punjab Farmers' Union, said: "It is clear that this government has justified violence and, therefore, no action has been taken against the minister. ”
"So far, the minister has been defending himself and has not resigned on moral grounds." Janak Singh Bhutal, from the Farmers Union of India (BKU-Ugrahan), added that he was at the Gungnana train station in The Bahinda district where eight people were killed in the incident, including 4 farmers and a journalist.
While Monday's protests were largely directed at the violence in Rakimpulkerry County, the farm bill was also discussed in speeches at the protest site, and farmers said they did not accept conditions other than repealing the farm bill.
While many farm workers also took part in protests on their own to "occupy" the railroad tracks by farmers, most farm workers' unions did not directly attend Monday's event. Lachman Singh Sewewala, president of the Khet Mazdoor union in Punjab, said: "Farm workers took part in today's protest on their own, and our union did not participate. But we have no differences with the farmers, and we are united with them on the issue of the Farm Bill."
Of the 108 protest sites, about 32 branches of the Punjab Farmers' Union organized "occupy" railroad activities at 62 sites, while india's BKU-Ugrahan protested at 26 sites.
None of the farm workers' union leaders could explain why, in some places, the protests began before 10 a.m. at the time decided, leading to serious disruptions to the two rail lines involved and inconvenience to many passengers. A large number of commuters who commute to work on trains every day are forced to change their commuting schedules at the last minute. The railway department said there had been no violent clashes at any of the protest sites in Punjab and that all activities had remained peaceful. (Editor: SDY)