SKM Demands Murder Case Over Farmer Death, to Observe ‘Black Day’ in Condemnation

Chandigarh: The Samyukta Kisan Morcha on Thursday demanded the registration of a murder case over the death of a protesting farmer on the Punjab-Haryana border and announced a Black Day and a tractor march to condemn the incident. Subhkaran Singh, 21, had died Wednesday amid clashes between Haryana Police and Punjab farmers, whose Delhi Chalo march has been stalled at Khanauri border point in Punjab's Sangrur’s district.

The Punjab farmers are demanding a legal guarantee from Centre on minimum support price for their crops.         The SKM, which had led the 2020-21 farmers' agitation against three central laws, is not part of the Delhi Chalo agitation, however, it has been supporting it.

The SKM after a meeting here said farmers will take out tractor marches on highways across country on February 26 and hold a Mahapanchayat in Delhi on March 14.

It said the farmers on Friday will burn effigies of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and his Haryana counterpart Anil Vij to condemn the police action.

A case of murder should be registered over the death of the farmer at Khanauri border and his family be given Rs 1 crore in compensation, SKM leader Balbir Singh Rajewal told reporters here.

Subhkaran Singh, a native of Bathinda district, was brought dead at a hospital from Khanauri on the Sangrur-Jind border.

He had died allegedly in a clash with police, 12 of whom were also injured, at the Khanauri border point on the Punjab-Haryana border.

The incident took place when the farmers rushed to the barricades, several layers of which have been erected by Haryana authorities to prevent farmers from proceeding with their march, clashing with security forces.

The SKM Thursday held a meeting here to discuss the situation at Shambhu and Khanauri border points where thousands of farmers are camping as part of the 'Delhi Chalo' call.

Several SKM leaders from Punjab, Haryana, and other states participated in the meeting.

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) are spearheading the 'Delhi Chalo' march to press the government to accept their demands, including a legal guarantee of MSP for crops and a farm loan waiver.

Farmers leaders had on Wednesday put the march on hold for two days after a farmer's death, who was later identified as Subhkaran Singh, saying they would decide their next course of action Friday evening.

Besides MSP, the Punjab farmers are also demanding the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission's recommendations, pension for farmers and farm labourers, no hike in electricity tariff, withdrawal of police cases, and "justice" for the victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence.

Reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013, and compensation to the families of the farmers who died during a previous agitation in 2020-21, are also among their demands. PTI CHS VSD VN VN