Amritsar/Chandigarh: Farmers blocked rail traffic for two hours on Thursday as part of a ‘rail roko’ protest demanding justice for the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri incident. According to reports, the protest disrupted train services across Punjab and parts of Haryana, affecting multiple train movements.
The protest was ignited by recent remarks from Union Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu, who blamed farmer unions for blocking rail tracks and disrupting foodgrain loading. His comments sparked outrage among farmer leaders at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders.
Unions including Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, began the protest at 12:30 PM, also marking the third anniversary of the Lakhimpur Kheri incident, where eight persons, including four farmers, were killed during a protest against the now-repealed three farm laws.
The farmers continue to demand several key issues, including a legal guarantee for minimum support prices (MSP) on crops, loan waivers, implementation of the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations, and accountability for those responsible for the Lakhimpur Kheri incident.
