Anger mounts, highway blocked in Haryana, Raj

CHANDIGARH/JAIPUR/BHOPAL/AHMEDABAD: Farmers blocked traffic in various parts of the country on Friday as part of their nationwide stir against the death of five cultivators in police firing in Madhya Pradesh and failure of the Centre to provide relief to the farming community.

In Haryana, led by Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Gurnam Singh, farmers gathered near Mohra in Ambala and blocked the highway there by parking their tractors. Apart from Ambala, farmers are also holding protests at Rohtak, Sonepat, Hisar, Sirsa, Jind, Bhiwani and Charkhi Dadri.

A group of 62 farmers’ unions had announced that it will block traffic for three hours on all national highways across the country on Friday. The farmers are also demanding waiver of loans and implementation of Swaminathan Committee report on payment of the minimum support price (MSP). The opposition parties, including Congress and Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), have also lent their support to the agitating farmers.

In Rajasthan, cultivators blocked Ganganagar- Hanumangarh highway as part of their protest. Former CPI(M) MLA Pawan Duggal claimed that a large number of farmers have taken part in the blockade.

In Madhya Pradesh, the proposed state-wide strike called by various farmers’ organisation proved to be a damp squib. In Bhopal, head of Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor Sangh Shivkumar Sharma alias Kakkaji was arrested in the morning along with some of his supporters.

The entire Malwa belt, which saw violent farmers’ protest that resulted in the death of six farmers in Mandsaur, was also peaceful. Ujjain zone IG ADG V Madhukumar said the proposed strike did not have any impact and things functioned normally in the six districts under him.

In Gujarat, several Congress men were detained Friday as the party blocked highways at various places across the state demanding agriculture loan waiver by the state government. In various parts of Gujarat including Saurashtra, north, central and South Gujarat, Congress workers took to the highway. In the process light traffic jams were reported from some places. At Mehsana, Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad districts, they also burned tyres.

IN GUJARAT, SEVERAL CONGRESS MEN WERE DETAINED ON FRIDAY AS THE PARTY BLOCKED HIGHWAYS ACROSS THE STATE, DEMANDING LOAN WAIVER BY THE GOVT