Farmers begin three-day protest over farm fire FIRs

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 20

Farmers across the state began a three-day protest against the state government over the issue of registration of cases against farmers who burnt paddy stubble. They have asked the state government to come up with a more viable option for straw management.

The protests were held outside the offices of DCs in Patiala, Sangrur, Barnala, Mansa, Bathinda, Moga, Faridkot, Muktsar and Amritsar, and that of Sub Divisional Magistrates at several places in the state.

Braving the cold, farmers, including women, participated in the protests in large numbers. “We will continue the protest till Wednesday,” said Sukhdev Singh Kokrikalan, general secretary of the BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) in Moga.

Between October and early November, hundreds of farmers were booked for burning paddy straw. These farmers today raised slogans against the government, demanding that the FIRs and fines be cancelled. They demanded that the government should also release their combine harvesters, which were seized when the cases were registered.

Though the Supreme Court had announced a relief of Rs 2,500 per acre for farmers not burning paddy straw, the government had stopped the same after a scam in relief disbursal was detected. Farmers demanded that this compensation should be disbursed immediately.

“We want that the relief meant for families of farmers who committed suicide should be released,” said Kokrikalan.

Farmers came prepared with food and other necessary items to stay put at protest sites during night.

In Sangrur, they blocked the road outside the DC office and raised slogans against the government for allegedly harassing farmers under debt.