Farmers to block trains today, hold round 3 talks with Centre

Farmers’ Delhi Chalo Protest: Third Round of Talks Amidst Stand-off

Several major farmers’ unions have extended their support to the protesting farmer unions at Shambhu border and Khanauri border in Punjab, with the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ugrahan) and BKU Dakaunda (Dhaner faction) announcing a ‘rail roko’ (stop trains) in the state on Thursday between 12 noon and 4 pm on Thursday, February 15. The Samyukt Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of 37 farm unions, have also supported the ongoing protests. The protesters are demanding a minimum support price or MSP for their crops.

These unions had played key roles in the protests on Delhi’s fringes in 2021 and have joined the current protests citing the “condemnable use of violence” against farmers. BKU (Ugrahan) general secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokri Kalan has slammed the police action.

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“We stand with them in solidarity. To prove it, our supporters will hold rail roko (stop trains) at as many places as we can,” he announced. The organisation will block train tracks in Punjab between 12pm and 4pm on Thursday, he said, a day before the larger nationwide strike planned for February 16

Protest Highlights:

• Nearly 10 protest sites have been identified for the ‘rail roko’ protest, with BKU Ugrahan and BKU Dakaunda (Dhaner faction) participating jointly.
• Locations like Rajpura, Sunam, Jethuke village in Bathinda, Moga, Mansa, Malaut, Valla railway crossing in Amritsar, Barnala, Sangrur, Budhlada have been selected, affecting key rail lines.
• The protest is expected to impact the Amritsar-Jalandhar-Delhi line, Mansa-Bathinda-Delhi line, Ludhiana-Ferozepur line, and various other locations.

Ministerial Talks and Ongoing Clashes:

• Three Union ministers are set to meet farmers’ leaders in Chandigarh for the third round of talks, attempting to resolve the stand-off.
• Earlier meetings, held before the march began, were inconclusive.
• Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee leader Sarwan Singh Pandher stated that the meeting with Union ministers Arjun Munda, Piyush Goyal, and Nityanand Rai will take place at 5 pm.
• Defence minister Rajnath Singh and agriculture minister Arjun Munda engaged in discussions in New Delhi to address farmers’ concerns.

On-ground Situation and Protest Impact:

• At the Shambhu border, intermittent shelling and tear gas use by security personnel were reported.
• Similar stand-offs continue at the Data Singhwala-Khanauri border in Haryana’s Jind district, with the situation being less volatile than Tuesday.
• Farmer leaders claim over 100 protesters were injured on Tuesday, while police report 24 injuries among their personnel during the first day of the protest.
• Farmers at the Shambhu border, with tractor-trolleys lining the road, are still over 200 km from their destination.

Security Measures in Delhi:

• Multiple layers of concrete blocks and metal spikes have been deployed at Delhi’s Singhu and Tikri borders with Haryana, as well as at the Ghazipur border with Uttar Pradesh.
• Commuters in Delhi face challenges at the Singhu border due to area sealing and heavy police and paramilitary forces deployment.

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