Chandigarh, February 22: Farm leader Rakesh Tikait on Thursday announced that while the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) would observe a "Black Friday" on February 23 demanding a police case regarding the death of a young farmers at the Khanauri border, the farmers’ body would take out tractor marches along the highways across the country on February 26 in support of farmers’ demands.
Tikait was in Chandigarh, besides several other farm leaders from different states including Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, to take part in the SKM national coordination committee meeting, in connection with the violent clashes between farmers and police at Shambhu and Khanauri borders of Punjab and Haryana.
Effigies Of Leaders To Be Burnt:
Several other farm leaders including Balbir Singh Rajewal and Joginder Singh Ugranhan also announced that the effigies of Union home minister Amit Shah as well as Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Haryana home minister Anil Vij would also be burnt on Friday to condemn the death of 22-year old farmer Shubhkaran Singh at Khanauri border on Wednesday.
The farm leaders demanded that the Punjab government give a martyr status to young farmer Shubhkaran and Rs 1 crore financial support to his family.
Kisan Mahapanchayat In Delhi On March 14:
Meanwhile, the Punjab chief minister Bhagwant had already condemned the incident and announced that stringent action would be taken against those responsible for the death and that a case would be registered after the post mortem. The farmer leaders also said that the farm unions would also hold a "kisan mahapanchayat" at Ramlila Ground in Delhi on March 14.
The SKM which spearheaded the farmers agitation on Delhi borders in 2020-21 against now repealed three farm laws, however, is not a part of the "Delhi Chalo" march which is led by the SKM (non-political) leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) leader Sarwan Singh Pandher at the Haryana borders to press the Centre to accept their various demands including MSP for crops and loan waiver.
Meanwhile, since the farm leaders had paused their "Delhi Chalo" march for two days after the death of Shubhkaran on February 21, an uneasy calm prevailed at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders where a multitude of farmers had been camping since February 13, last, demanding MSP for crops, farm loan waiver, pension for farmers, implementation of Swaminathan Commission recommendations, besides other demands.
