'Rail Roko' To 'Mahapanchayat', Farmers Protest In Ways Beyond A Tractor March

A lull is cast along the Punjab-Haryana border as if awaiting a storm, where thousands of farmers have been camped on a national highway for the past month. They have withdrawn from their daily life to stay put in makeshift tents and converted tractors at the protest site until their demands, including a legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP), are fulfilled by the government. No amount of police force can stop them from heading to Delhi, their ultimate goal. 

A month ago, on these dates, violent clashes broke out between security forces and thousands of farmers who converged at two border points – Shambhu and Khanauri – where they tried to break the barricades to enter Haryana and march forward. Tear gas, drone shellings and pellets were used to stop them and turn them away. During another attempt to breach the barricades a week later, a young protester suffered an alleged bullet injury and died. The death of Shubhkaran Singh left a scar on the protesting farmers, who are now also fighting for justice for him. While the stir continues, farmer leaders have called for peaceful movement rather than using force. 

“This will be a long fight. The farmers here at Shambhu have been steadfast and the crowd is still increasing. We will not stop without getting our demands,” says Harjeet Singh, a 39-year-old protester from Mansa district of Punjab.

The proposed tractor march of farmers has been met by much resistance from the State which has taken all necessary precautionary measures, including closure of borders in Delhi and deployment of central security forces. This is because of the momentum the protest had gained in 2020-21, when the farmers were demanding the repeal of the contentious farm laws, among other demands. The Centre, perhaps, cannot afford a repeat episode in the national capital again.

As a result, the farmers have chosen alternate forms of protest to raise their demands, like a dharna or sit-in protest, a commonly seen non-violent agitation to voice dissent. Earlier on Sunday, farmers squatted on railway tracks in 85 places in Punjab, including Amritsar, Ludhiana, Tarn Taran, Bathinda and others, as part of the 'rail roko' protest called by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha to press the Centre to accept their demands. Similar agitation was reported in Haryana, where farmers blocked railway tracks in Ambala and Panchkula. Some farmers were also reportedly detained by the police. Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan), BKU (Dakaunda-Dhaner) and Krantikari Kisan Union, which are part of Samyukta Kisan Morcha, also participated in the agitation. At least 49 trains were cancelled in Punjab alone in light of the dharna on tracks.

There have been concerns that a division among farmer unions this time is the reason why the protest has yet to gain nationwide momentum like last time. During the ‘rail roko’ protest, concerns also emerged about a lack of unity among the leaders spearheading the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march. Samyukta Kisan Morcha, the umbrella body of farmer organisations that unitedly spearheaded the farmers’ protest in 2020-21, has extended its support to the ongoing farmer movement led by Jagjit Singh Dallewal and Sarvan Singh Pandher, although it has not actively participated in the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march. 

The BKU (Ekta Ugrahan), which has been at the forefront of the Punjab farmers’ protest, has stressed that they are committed to fighting for the rights of the farmers, bridging any differences and getting their demands from the government.

Meanwhile, the SKM and Central Trade Union (CTU) had announced a 'Kisan Mazdoor Mahapanchayat' in Delhi on March 14. The Delhi Police also granted permission to farmers to hold the protest at Ramlila Ground with a cap of 5,000 people and a condition of no tractors-trolleys. Farmers gathered in large numbers to protest against several policies of the BJP-led Centre regarding the farming sector. About 50,000 farmers were expected to join the protest.