SKM pledges to mobilise farmers nationwide and hold talks for action plan

February 23 to be observed as Black Day after death of farmer at Punjab-Haryana border

Farmers sit inside a makeshift tent at a protest site where they are marching towards New Delhi to press for the better crop prices promised to them in 2021, at Shambhu Barrier, a border between Punjab and Haryana states, India, February 22, 2024. | Photo Credit: Reuters

As the stand-off between the Centre and farmers continues, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) announced on Thursday that it would mobilise farmers nationwide with a slew of programmes in support of its demands.

The SKM is the umbrella body of farmers that spearheaded the 2020-21 farmers’ agitation.

An SKM meeting was held here a day after 21-year-old Shubhkaran Singh was killed at the Khanauri border point of Punjab and Haryana when protesting farmers were attempting to resume their march from Punjab to Delhi.

Farmers have been camping in Punjab after being stopped from entering Haryana since February 13. The Kisan Mazdoor Morcha and the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) — the two umbrella bodies of around 200 farmers’ and farm labourer unions — had given the call for the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march, to press for fulfilment of their demands, including a legal guarantee for purchasing their crops at a Minimum Support Price (MSP) and farm loan waivers.

SKM leaders said the Punjab government should lodge an FIR under Section 302 (charges of murder) against Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and State Home Minister Anil Vij and the police, over the death of the young farmer. They also demanded a judicial probe by a Supreme Court judge into the firing and the damage caused to tractors, which they alleged were damaged by the Haryana Police at the protest site.

It was decided in the meeting that a six-member committee including Hannan Mollah, Joginder Singh Ugrahan, Balbeer Singh Rajewal, Yudhavir Singh, Darshan Pal and Raminder Patiala would hold consultations with all former SKM members to chalk out an action plan and to unite all farmer organisations that were part of the SKM.

The leaders said that SKM would observe February 23 as a Black Day (Akrosh Diwas) by burning effigies and holding demonstrations.

Also, a call was made to observe February 26 as ‘Quit WTO Day’ by conducting marches and parking tractors on national and State highways as part of the protest.

The SKM has planned to hold a ‘Kisan Mazdoor Mahapanchayat’ on March 14 at Ramlila ground, New Delhi.

Meanwhile, the Opposition parties in Punjab have blamed the State government for the farmer’s death. Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Majithia said Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s failure to register a case against the Haryana Police when they acted against farmers in Punjab on February 13 had led to the killing of Shubhkaran Singh.

Leader of the Opposition and Congress MP Partap Singh Bajwa said the Haryana police have been firing tear-gas shells and rubber bullets on farmers. “However, the Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann failed to lodge an FIR against the Haryana Police. It establishes that CM Mann has become the BJP’s puppet,” he said.