Apart from having passed resolutions in the state assembly against the Centre’s three agricultural laws, the Punjab government on Friday, 12 November, announced that they will give Rs 2 lakh compensation to 83 farmers who were arrested by Delhi Police for carrying out a tractor rally in the national capital on 26 January this year.
The farmers have been sitting in protest at Delhi’s borders since November 2020, demanding withdrawal of the contentious agricultural laws introduced by the central government last year.
Farmers’ groups have contended that the laws will give control to private players and will effectively prove disastrous for them. Meanwhile, the Centre has tried to offer amendment to the laws, claiming that the laws will be beneficial for the agricultural groups. However, farmers have stuck to their demand of complete withdrawal of the laws.
Several protesting farmers on 26 January entered the Red Fort in Delhi and waved flags from the ramparts of the fort, even as clashes between farmers and the police erupted in several parts of the national capital amid the ‘Kisan Gantantra Parade’. A protestor even hoisted a flag from the ramparts of the fort.
On Friday, Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, echoed his government’s commitment to the farmers and said in a tweet, “Reiterating my government's stand to support the ongoing farmers' protest against three black farm laws, we have decided to give Rs 2 lakh compensation to 83 people arrested by Delhi Police for carrying out a tractor rally in the national capital on 26 January, 2021.”
The farmers had reached the fort with their tractors following clashes with the police at ITO and had attempted to break police barricade in order to march towards the fort.
Further, visuals of protestors breaking barricades, police blocking of roads after a few protesters reportedly changed the route and vandalism of DTC buses emerged from across the national capital on Republic Day, even as farmer leader Rakesh Tikait had told the media that the rallies were being undertaken “peacefully.”
While Punjab has alleged that agricultural produce marketing committees or mandis will become private mandis and lead to financial loss to the state government, the Centre has, however, said that the new laws are good for farmers since they cut out middlemen.
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