KMSC wants action against those responsible for farmer’s death

Amritsar, February 24

Members of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee burnt effigies of the Centre and the Haryana Government at Golden Gate here and at various villages for stopping the farmers from reaching Delhi and hold a protest.

The protests were organized by village committees of the KMSC in which local farmers participated in large numbers. Gurlal Singh Kakkar, president of the Chogawan zone committee of KMSC, said, “Most of our senior leadership is already holding a protest at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders. We are mobilising public support here by organizing these events.”

Gurlal Singh said while one farmer was killed, several others were seriously injured due to the use of tear gas shells and plastic bullets by paramilitary forces deployed on Haryana borders. “The government has unnecessarily created tension on these borders. It should have let the farmers go to Delhi and hold their protest,” he added.

The farmer leaders said the government must guarantee minimum support prices for all crops, which is the only way to safeguard the farmers’ interests. Gurbachan Singh Chabba of the KMSC said, “At present, the Union Government announces the MSP on 23 crops, but practically in Punjab it is given only on paddy and wheat.” He said legal guarantee on MSP would ensure that farmers get a fair price for all crops.

The farmer leaders stated that legal guarantee on MSP would help in crop diversification as at present farmers are trapped in the wheat-paddy monoculture. They said that the protest would continue till all their demands are accepted.

Sonu Maha, another leader of KMSC, said, “The farming community is deeply saddened by the use of violence against the farmers and demands that action should be taken against officials who were responsible for the death of young farmer Subhkaran Singh.”