Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee president Sarwan Singh Pandher on Wednesday announced that the ‘Delhi Chalo’ protest march by farmers will be suspended for the next two days after a protester was killed allegedly in police firing at Khanauri border.
“We will have discussions over the incident that took place in Khanauri. There will be a two-day stay on our march towards Delhi. We will clarify the entire situation later as to what our further movement will be,” Pandher said at a press conference.
Earlier today, the farmer unions resumed the ‘Delhi Chalo’ protest march after talks with the government failed. During the fourth round of talks, the farmers were offered MSP on pulses, maize and cotton crops for five years.
However, the farmers rejected the government’s proposal and announced to go ahead with their protest march until government accepts their demands, including a law to guarantee MSP on crops.
Meanwhile, the deceased farmer has been identified as 24-year-old Shubhkaran Singh, a resident of Ballo village in Punjab’s Bathinda district.
According to some of the farmers, the deceased protester was killed after sustaining bullet injury on his head.
Meanwhile, Haryana police has claimed that at least 12 of its personnel were injured after farmers allegedly attacked them with sticks and pelted stones.
“At the Data Singh-Khanauri border, the protesters surrounded the police from all sides by pouring chilli powder in the stubble, attacked the policemen using sticks and maces along with stone pelting, about 12 policemen were seriously injured,” the police said.
The suspension of the protest march also comes after Union Minister Arjun Munda invited farmers’ leaders for fifth round of talks.
Munda said, “After the fourth round, the government is ready to discuss all the issues like MSP demand, crop diversification, stubble issue, FIR in the fifth round. I again invite the farmer leaders for discussion.”