From Amritsar to Tikri, black flags hoisted to mark six months of farmers’ agitation

Tribune News Service

New Delhi/Chandigarh, May 26

Farmers in Punjab and Haryana on Wednesday hoisted black flags atop their houses and vehicles and burnt effigies of the Union Government to mark the completion of six months of their agitation against the three contentious agri laws. Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) leaders, spearheading the protest, said they were prepared to stretch the stir till 2024 when the next General Election is to be held.

Speaking at an event in Delhi, BKU leader Rakesh Tikait said the SKM was prepared for a long haul.“There is no going back,” he stressed. Protesters at Singhu and Tikri, the epicentres of the farm movement, hoisted flags at the main stage, atop tents, bamboo huts and vehicles. They gathered at the ‘Kisan Andolan’ office at Kundli and held a march amid sloganeering.

At Tikri, male protesters wore black badges and the women black salwar-suits and dupattas. They held a bike rally that culminated at the Dhansa border while passing through Jhajjar. “Contrary to the government claims that the stir would end in the course of time, it has spread across the country,” a buoyant Gurnam Singh, BKU (Charuni) chief, said.

Rallies were held across Punjab with farmers sporting black bands on turbans. At some places, the protesters burnt effigies of senior BJP leaders. Political leaders in Punjab backed the farmers by hoisting black flags atop their houses.

While the Kirti Kisan Union held tractor marches, the BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan), All-India Kisan Federation, BKU (Rajewal) and BKU (Dakaunda) organised foot marches. In Phagwara, Bharti Kisan Union (Doaba) general secretary Satnam Singh Sahni claimed shopkeepers and traders too put up black flags outside their shops in solidarity with the farming community.