Farmers announce ‘chakka jam’ on Feb 6

NEW DELHI: Farmer union leaders Monday announced a nationwide ‘chakka jam’ for three hours on February 6 calling for the blockade of state and national highways to protest against the suspension of internet and heavy barricading at agitation spots and to push for their demands on the repeal of three farm laws passed by Centre in September.

The announcements were made by Samyukta Kisan Morcha during a press conference at the Singhu border agitation spot following a meeting in the day.

Balbir Singh Rajewal, farmer leader of SKM, said the meeting involved discussion on arrest and harassment of young farmers by police, no trace of farmers whose tractors were seized during Republic Day, suspension of mobile internet and electricity, and barricading roads around and leading up to the protest spots.

“Farmers coming to join the agitation by trains are also being harassed. We want to protest against all these atrocities and so will do a three-hour chakka jam on February 6 across the nation. These will be on the national and state highways,” he said.

“Government has also reduced allocation for the agriculture sector in the budget and we will be protesting against that as well.”

Farmers to stay back

As protesters at Delhi’s Ghazipur border begin to settle down days after being given an eviction notice, they are identifying their camps and trucks by the road transport office codes of their districts even as the farmers are ensuring that if any of them leave the site for their homes, they are replaced by another person so that the count doesn’t dip.

On Monday, their leader, Rakesh Tikait reiterated that the farmers will not leave the site until the three farm laws were repealed and asked the gathering not to bother about the heavy barricading by the police.