Chandigarh: More than 50 trains were cancelled on the Ambala-Amritsar route and the movement of many more were affected in the wake of ongoing farmers’ 'rail-roko' (blockade of rail-tracks) protest which entered its fourth day at the Shambhu railway station in Patiala district near here on Saturday.
The protesting farmers have been demanding the release of the three fellow farmer protesters from the custody of the Haryana police in connection with their ongoing stir to press the Centre to accept their demands including legal guarantee of minimum support price for their crops.
It may be recalled that the farmers who had launched their ``Delhi chalo’’ march were stopped on February 13 last at Shambhu border by security forces and they have been camping there since.
Farm Leaders Vow to Continue Rail-Roko Protest Until Farmers' Release
The leaders of the farmers’ fora who have been protesting under the banner of Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, including Sarwan Singh Pandher said that they would continue their rail-roko stir until the three farmers were released.
They demand the release of Navdeep Singh, Gurkirat Singh and Anish Khatkar, arrested by Haryana police. While the first two named farmers were arrested on February 28 last from near Mohali airport, Khatkar was arrested on March 19 in a murder case. Khatkar had been on hunger strike since his arrest and his health condition was deteriorating, the farm leaders held.
