Punjab: Farmers squat on railway track at Shambhu demanding release fellow protesters

Chandigarh, Apr 17 (PTI) Farmers under the banner of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha on Wednesday squatted on a rail track in Patiala district near the Punjab and Haryana border, demanding release of three farmers who had been arrested by the Haryana Police.

Many trains were diverted because of the farmers’ blockade at Shambhu Railway Station, railway authorities said.

KMM leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said the Haryana administration had given them an assurance that the arrested farmers would be released by April 16.

“When our farmers were not released, we decided to squat on the rail track,” Pandher said.

Three farmers, including Navdeep Singh, were arrested during the ongoing farmers’ stir.

Though the Punjab Police had erected barricades to prevent protesters from heading towards the rail track, farmers forced their way and sat on the track.

The SKM (Non-Political) and the KMM are spearheading the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march by farmers to press the government to accept their demands which includes that the Centre should give a legal guarantee of Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops.

The farmers have been staying put at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana since February 13 when their march was stopped by the security forces.