Tripura farmers protest in Agartala against tear gas shelling, caning at border points

Agartala: The Sanyukta Kisan Morcha and the Tripura unit of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) on Friday called for protests in the state against the alleged security crackdown on agitating farmers amid their protests at various border points in the country.

The Sanyukta United Kisan Morcha and CITU in Tripura condemned the alleged tear gas shelling and caning of farmers amid the standoff between the protestors on the Punjab-Haryana, Delhi-Ghaziabad borders.

A protest programme was organised in various sub-divisions of Tripura, condemning the resistance of the security forces at the border points.

Speaking at the protest venue--the Paradise Chowmahoni area, the convenor of the United Kisan Morcha Tripura, Pavitra Kar, said, "The Prime Minister is afraid of the farmers, which is why he has declared war on them by erecting a wall kilometre after kilometre on this road. It looks as if he is trying to hold off an advancing enemy with the help of drones and tear gas shells."

"The autocratic mindset and conduct of the Modi government has become clear to all after security forces used rubber bullets and caned the farmers. Is there any meaning in bestowing the Bharat Ratna on farmer leader Chowdhury Charan Singh and agricultural scientist Dr MS Swaminathan if we are treated this way?" he questioned.

"Together with about 500 farmer associations, we observed a nationwide strike today. Our main demands are a law that ensures the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for our produce and writing off all farmer debts. Over the last 3 years, this government (at the Centre) hasn't taken a single step in this direction. So we jointly launched this movement again and called a national shutdown today," he said. He added that agricultural scientist Mathura Swaminathan, who is the daughter of the man behind India's 'Green Revolution', Dr MS Swaminathan, strongly condemned the treatment meted out to the farmers during the protests.

The convenor of the United Kisan Morcha Tripura stated further that the 'success' of Friday's shutdown shows that the farmers of the country were ready to fight back against all the injustices meted out to them.

Manik Dey, president of the State Committee of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), said, "Today's strike had a noticeable impact. The workers and farmers are determined to see this agitation through to its logical end. The Prime Minister has grown restless and scared. He is deceiving people with Bharat Ratna for people whom he did not remember all these years."

Meanwhile, security forces deployed at the Shambhu Border continued to resist agitating farmers attempting to enter the national capital as the protests entered their fourth day on Friday.

The police fired tear gas to disperse the farmers while the protestors were seen pelting stones towards the law enforcers. The protesting farmers have been camping at the border points.

Hundreds of farmers and some journalists were injured as the protestors engaged in pitched battles with the police, trying to break the multi-layer barricades.

With the third meeting between Union Ministers and the farmer leaders ending in a stalemate, with no common ground in sight, the next round of talks will take place on Sunday.

The first meeting between the farmer leaders and the centre took place on February 8, while the second was held on February 12.

The farmers have put forth 12 demands before the central government for which they are trying to march to Delhi.

The protest this time has been called by the Sanyukta Kisan Morcha and Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, led by farmer union leaders Jagjeet Singh Dallewal and Sarwan Singh Pandher.

Earlier, on February 14, the Sanyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of farm bodies, wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding an MSP for crops, criticising the crackdown on the farmers' "Delhi Chalo" march and accusing the government of trying to 'project' a split in the farmer organisations participating in the protests. (ANI)

Also Read: India’s farmer protests: Challenges, realities, and potential solutions

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