Protesting Indian farmers burn effigies of Modi, Amit Shah and other ministers
Hoist black flags on tractors, trolleys to mark ‘Black Day’ today
Delhi: Indian farmers demanding higher prices for their crops burned effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and other ministers today as they sought to expand their protest against New Delhi months before elections.
According to Kashmir Media Service, thousands of farmers began a ‘Delhi Chalo’ march last week but were stopped by Indian forces’ personnel forces about 200km north of the capital, with water cannons and teargas being used to push them back.
Farmer leaders on Thursday announced a series of “mega programmes” across India to press their demands. The “Black Day” today will be followed by a tractor rally on highways on Feb 26, and a farm workers’ public meeting in Delhi on March 14.
Black flags were hoisted on tractors and trolleys lined up at the protest site, today. Several protesters, most of whom are Sikhs from the northern state of Punjab, also tied black cloth over their turbans in solidarity.
Farmers also burnt effigy of the chief minister of Haryana state, whose police used force against them, and chanted slogans demanding minimum prices for their crops.
Notably, the farmers paused their march for two days on Wednesday after the death of a protester due to police aggression in Punjab’s Sangrur district.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann today announced compensation of 10 million rupees for the dead man’s family. However, farmer leaders rejected the compensation and said they would not allow the autopsy to be conducted until a murder case is registered. “We will have a meeting in the evening to decide next steps (regarding the march),” farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher told reporters.
Amnesty International condemned the protester’s death and urged the Indian government to “respect, protect and facilitate the right to freedom of peaceful assembly”. “The price of protest must not be death,” said Aakar Patel, chair of board at Amnesty International India.
