News Analysis India

Tag: Rail Roko

  • Rail roko: Protesting farmers sit on tracks in Punjab, Haryana; officials stop trains at stations

    By PTI
    CHANDIGARH: Farmers on Thursday sat on railway tracks at many places in Punjab and Haryana as part of the ‘rail roko’ protest against the Centre’s new agri laws, with officials stopping trains at stations as a precautionary measure.

    The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of farmer unions which is spearheading the protest, last week had announced the nationwide rail blockade to press for its demand to repeal the legislations and had said that the agitation will be from 12 pm to 4 pm.

    In Punjab, protesters sat on tracks at many places on the Delhi-Ludhiana-Amritsar railway route, officials said.

    Farmers blocked the Jalandhar Cantt-Jammu railway track in Jalandhar and in Mohali district also farmers blocked a rail track, they said.

    In Haryana, protesting farmers, including women, squatted on rail tracks at many places, including in Ambala, Kurukshetra, Panipat and Panchkula districts, the officials said.

    On the Ambala-Delhi railway section, a group of farmers led by Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader from Ambala, Gulab Singh, squatted on a rail track at  Shahpur village, about 2 kilometres from the Ambala Cantt station.

    “Our protest will continue in a peaceful manner till the farm laws are repealed,” Singh said.

    Security has been tightened in both Haryana and Punjab with personnel of the government railway police and the state police forces being deployed, officials said.

    The Ferozepur division of the Northern Railways has decided to halt trains at stations so that passengers face less inconvenience during the ‘rail roko’ protest.

    The officials said that the movement of trains is likely to be delayed because of the farmers’ rail blockade.

    Train services will be resumed after following due security protocols once the agitation is over, they said.

    In Haryana, besides railway police personnel, the Haryana Police has deployed its staff in large numbers near the protest sites and at various railway stations.

    Divisional Railway Manager, Ambala Division, G M Singh said that no train has been cancelled in view of the ‘rail roko’ agitation.

    Four trains were scheduled to pass from Ambala between 12 to 4 pm, railway officials said.

    Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) members will block railway tracks at 22 places, including at Nabha, Mansa, Barnala, Bathinda, Ferozepur, Jalandhar and Tarn Taran, in Punjab, the organisation’s general secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokrikalan said.

    Thousands of farmers have been protesting since late November at Delhi’s borders with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, demanding a rollback of the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; Farmers’ (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020; and Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

    The protesting farmers have expressed apprehension that these laws would pave the way for the dismantling of the minimum support price (MSP) system, leaving them at the “mercy” of big corporations.

    However, the government has maintained that the new laws will bring better opportunities to farmers and introduce new technologies in agriculture.

    PTI CHS SUN ANB ANB 02181316 NNNN

  • Rail roko will be peaceful, will not join politics: Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait

    By ANI
    GHAZIABAD: Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait on Thursday said that ‘rail roko’, the blockade of trains as part of protests against farm laws, will be done in a peaceful manner and food and refreshments provided to people stranded due to the protest. He also stated that he will not join politics as he considers it “a big disease”.

    “Rail roko protest will begin at 12 pm and go on till 3-4 pm. Trains are not plying anyway. It’ll be done peacefully. We’ll provide water, milk, lassi and fruits to people who are stranded. We will inform them about our issues,” he said.

    “Today we have two rallies in Hisar and I am going there. I am going to a rally in Mumbai tomorrow. We will hold rallies all over the country. Farmers are suffering everywhere. The only way to get rid of the problems is to give legal backing to MSP,” he said.

    He also condemned the violence that happened at Red Fort on January 26 and said that Bharatiya Kisan Union has no connection with those responsible.

    Speaking about his upcoming visit to West Bengal and the extension of the agitation to West Bengal, he said: “We will talk to farmers there. Their crops are not being sold at MSP. We have got nothing to do with elections.”

    He dismissed any possibility of him entering the political arena. “Politics is a big disease, I will stay away from it,” he said. In view of the protest, Railways has deployed 20 additional companies of the Railway Protection Special Force across the country with a focus on Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

    Farmers have been protesting at the different borders of the national capital since November last year, against the three newly enacted farm laws – Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and farm Services Act 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

  • Farmers’ 4-hour nationwide ‘rail roko’ program today, Samyukta Kisan Morcha appeals for peaceful protest

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: Farmers’ organisations will hold a nationwide ‘rail roko’ program for 4 hours on Thursday as they continue their protest against the central farm laws.

    Jagtar Singh Bajwa, spokesperson of the Kisan Andolan Committee, Ghazipur border said they will carry out a peaceful protest during the ‘Rail Roko’ program on February 18 from 12 noon to 4 pm.

    We will offer refreshments to the passengers to avoid inconvenience, he said.

    The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) has called for a peaceful protest, expecting to get support for the program from across the country.

    “Appeal to everyone for a peaceful protest in nationwide ‘Rail Roko’ program on February 18 from 12 noon to 4 pm,” it said.

    The SKM demanded that the government should resolve the farmers’ issues immediately without any further delay.

    “Samyukt Kisan Morcha took note of the high-level meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of JP Nadda with elected party leaders and others from Haryana, UP, Punjab and Rajasthan, along with Cabinet and other Ministers like Amit Shah, Narendra Singh Tomar, Sanjeev Baliyan and others,” read a release by Darshan Pal of the SKM.

    “It is clear that instead of resolving the ongoing struggle’s demands, BJP is trying its best to counter and destroy it. SKM condemns this attitude of the ruling party and demands that the government resolve the farmers’ issues immediately without any further delay. SKM vows that it will intensify the struggle and mobilise more farmers in its support,” it said.

    The SKM also condemned an alleged attack by Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) “goons” on a peaceful protest organised by the All India Krishak Khet Majdoor Sangathan in Muzaffarpur on Wednesday.

    In view of the protest, Railways has deployed 20 additional companies of the Railway Protection Special Force across the country with a focus on Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

    Farmers have been protesting at the different borders of the national capital since November last year, against the three newly enacted farm laws – Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and farm Services Act 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

  • Rail Roko: Railways deploys 20 additional RPSF companies, focus on Punjab, Haryana, UP

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The railways has deployed 20 additional companies of the RPSF across the country, with focus on Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, in the wake of the “rail roko” called on Thursday by farmer groups protesting against the Centre’s new agri laws.

    The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of farmer unions which is spearheading the protest, last week had announced the rail blockade to press for its demand to repeal the legislations.

    Director General, Railway Protection Force, Arun Kumar on Wednesday said, “I appeal to everyone to maintain peace.

    We will be liaisoning with district administrations and will have a control room in place.”

    “We will gather intelligence. States such as Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, and some other areas will be our focus. We have deployed 20 companies of the Railway Protection Special Force (RPSF) in these areas,” he said.

    “We want to persuade them to not cause inconvenience for passengers. We have a four-hour window and we want it (rail roko) to get over peacefully,” Kumar said.

    The SKM had said that the rail blockade will held across the country from 12 pm to 4 pm.

    Sources in the northern railways said they are expecting that ‘rail roko’ agitations will be concentrated in Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh.

    “No decision has yet been taken on train movement in the backdrop of the rail blockade. Once we get a better picture of the status of the protests and have identified sensitive spots, we will put in place a plan of action.

    We have around 80 trains which run through potentially sensitive areas and most of them would have passed through them before 12 pm,” an official said.

    The announcement of the rail roko movement came amid the ongoing protests against the laws at Delhi’s borders by farmers, mostly from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, and ‘mahapanchayats’ that are being organised in these states to garner support for the movement.

    On Tuesday, Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Gurnam Singh Chaduni had said that farmer unions will hold meetings in poll-bound West Bengal as well and indicated that they will ask people there not to vote for those who are “snatching our livelihood”.

    Railway unions which had earlier supported the farmers’ movement have distanced themselves from the ‘rail roko’ protest.

    Sources indicate that the unions are not in favour of such “short protest” calls.

    Farmers are protesting against the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act.

  • Farmers announce four-hour nationwide Rail Roko on February 18

    By Express News Service
    CHANDIGARH: The leaders of the protesting farmers on Wednesday announced that they will hold a nation-wide rail roko from 12-4 pm on February 18.

    After a meeting of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha in which all farmers leaders participated at the Singhu border, the president of Krantikari Kisan Union Punjab Dr Darshan Pal said four decisions have been taken to intensify the movement. 

    ALSO READ: ‘Congress will scrap new farm laws if voted to power’ – Priyanka Gandhi at mahapanchayat

    “It has been decided that on February 18, Rail Roko programmes will be held for four hours across the country from 12 to 4 PM. And from February 12, all road toll plazas in Rajasthan will be made toll-free on the pattern of Punjab and Haryana.”

    “It has also been decided that on February 14, candle march and mashaal (torch) march will be organised across the country in memory of the sacrifice of the martyred soldiers in the Pulwama attack, and on February 16, the farmers will celebrate the birth anniversary of Sir Chhoturam,” said Pal.

    ALSO READ: Rajasthan Congress MLA reaches Assembly on tractor to show support for farmers

    Another farmer leader said, “The All India Kisan Sangarsh Coordination Committee will work out the details and coordinate for the success of the protest programmes.”

    Meanwhile, addressing the farmers at Singhu border, BKU leader Rakesh Tikait said that they were not expecting at any change in the government at the Centre but a solution to their problems. Tikait further said many of their leaders will tour different parts of the country to spread the movement.

    ALSO READ: Rakesh Tikait address ‘mahapanchayat’ at Kurukshetra, criticises PM Narendra Modi’s remark on protesters

    “We do not aim to change the government at the Centre. The government should do its work. We want it to repeal the farm laws and ensure law on MSP,” he said.

    Tikait added that the agitation against the farm laws will stretch till the Centre addresses the farmers’ issues.

    The farmers are demanding a complete rollback of the new farm reform laws and a guarantee on the Minimum Support Price (MSP).