Hindustan Times ·
Rail traffic off track in Punjab as farmers launch protest against state govt
Kisan Mazdoor Morcha protesters block Amritsar-Delhi track at Devidaspura near Jandiala Guru and Ferozepur-Moga-Ludhiana line at Maheshari Sandhuan besides Sunam after talks fail.
Amritsar/Bathinda: Agitating farmers and farm labourers under the banner of the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) laid siege to rail tracks in Punjab on Thursday after the noon deadline for state government action on their demands ended.
The main disruptions hit the vital Amritsar-New Delhi track at Devidaspura village and the Ferozepur-Moga-Ludhiana line at Maheshari Sandhuan, forcing authorities to re-route long-distance services. Responding to the KMM call, farmers associated with BKU Ekta Azad also blocked the Ludhiana-Hisar track in Sangrur, prompting the deployment of a heavy police force to the site.
The escalation followed a last-minute failure of high-level negotiations in Amritsar between union representatives led by Sarwan Singh Pandher, Amritsar deputy commissioner Dalwinderjit Singh, and inspector general, border range, Gurpreet Singh Bhullar.
“We had given the state government sufficient time to address our core grievances, but they have shown no serious intent to resolve the issues of farmers and labourers,” Pandher said, addressing squatters camping on the Devidaspura lines near Jandiala Guru.
Protesters who had been staging three-day sit-ins outside the residences of nine Punjab cabinet ministers. including Harbhajan Singh ETO, abandoned those sites to reinforce the railway tracks.
Simultaneously, scores of KMM activists gathered at Maheshari Sandhuan railway station, 20km from Moga, bringing rail traffic on the Ferozepur-Ludhiana stretch to a halt. Police contingents were deployed as farmers on tracks, accusing the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) administration of ignoring repeated calls for dialogue.
Beyond Amritsar and Moga, the KMM staged blockades at key railway points in Sangrur-Sunam, Gurdaspur, and Ferozepur.
The KMM is protesting primarily to demand legal guarantees for the minimum support price (MSP) across all crops, full debt waivers for farmers and farm labourers, land allocation for landless workers, and the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission recommendations. Additionally, it is pushing for compensation and jobs for the families of farmers killed during previous anti-farm law protests, a guaranteed 200 days of work with a ₹700 daily wage, and the immediate withdrawal of pending police cases against union activists.
The KMM leadership warned the agitation will expand to additional routes across Punjab if their demands remain unaddressed.
The morcha will convene a state-level meeting on Friday to evaluate the government’s response and decide on their next trajectory. (With inputs by Muskan in Sangrur)
