CHANDIGARH – Agitating farmers on Saturday evening took out candlelight marches on the interstate borders of Punjab and Haryana to support their demands, comprising legal guarantee of the minimum support price of their crops.
At the same time, farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said they would not end their agitation till their demands are met.
He clarified that their protest may continue even after the model code of conduct for the Lok Sabha polls comes into effect.
Crowds of farmers have been camping in the open skies at Khanauri and Shambhu borders of Punjab with Haryana after their march to the national capital has been stopped since February 13.
Pandher has said that they will announce their next course of action on February 29.
Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly Partap Singh Bajwa on Saturday asked Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who also holds the Home portfolio, to register an FIR against Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij for “giving the police direction to fire at peacefully protesting farmers in Punjab’s territory”.
Speaking to the media here, Bajwa claimed that the police opened fire at the farmers with Vij’s direction. “Consequently, farmer Shubhkaran Singh was shot dead and several dozens of others were injured.”
Bajwa said that Mann “failed to protect” the farmers of the Punjab.
“Punjab Police should have been deployed at the frontline and farmers should have been made to stand 1,000 yards away from the border to provide them a shield. Haryana Police should have acted only when the farmers would have entered the Haryana territory,” he added.
The Congress leader said that Mann “didn’t stand with the farmers honestly”.
“Ninety-two Aam Aadmi Party MLAs and ministers never supported the genuine demands of the farmers. The Punjab CM represented the Union government in meetings between farmers and the Union government. As many as 250 farmers were injured and one farmer was murdered by Haryana Police by using tear gas shells, rubber bullets and double-barrel guns. However, the Punjab government has failed to hold anyone responsible,” Bajwa added. -IANS
