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. 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. 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.
