On January 26, the country witnessed a farmers’ tractor parade against the contentious farm laws which turned into a violent clash between the farmers and police. In connection with the incident, the police have arrested nearly 84 people and over 300 police officials were injured.
On Sunday, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) has claimed that nearly 100 people were missing since the tractor parade on Republic Day. The farmers’ body has implemented a six-member committee to look into the matter and have urged the public to share details of the missing people on phone number 8198022033. They have even released a statement on this matter.
Meanwhile, a village in Punjab’s Bathinda has decided that at least a person from each family in the village, must take part in the ongoing protest at the borders in solidarity with the agitating farmers. For a week, each family will be sending a member of their family to the protest sites.
According to reports, sarpanch Manjit Kaur said that if family members are not going to attend the protest, they will have to pay a fine of Rs 1,500 and those failing to pay the fine will be boycotted. He further added that the move aims at supporting the protesting farmers in the Delhi borders. Also, ‘Mahapanchayats’ will be organised in solidarity with the agitating farmers across various districts of Uttar Pradesh.
Meanwhile, farmer leader Rakesh Tikait on Thursday had urged the farmers from western UP to join the protest. This resulted in the huge mobilisation of farmers including the Jat farmers from Haryana at the Ghazipur border. The joining of the Jat community is a big blow to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as the party considers the community as its support hand in many key northern states.
Opposition parties such as the Congress, the Rashtriya Lok Dal, and the Indian National Lok Dal have earlier expressed their solidarity with the agitating farmers.
Meanwhile, the entry and exit gates of four metro stations were closed due to the farmers’ protest at the Ghazipur border today. Also, internet bans across the borders extended till February 2.
