Farmers under the banner of Samyukt Kisan Morcha observed the nationwide Sampoorna Kranti Diwas (Total Revolution Day) and burnt copies of the contentious farm laws across Punjab and Haryana on Saturday, 5 June.
Marking one year since the day the three farm laws were promulgated as Ordinances in 2020, and consequently, the first protest held on 6 June, farmers burnt copies of the laws outside residences and offices of BJP leaders and their allies.
The pakka morchas had begun in Punjab on 1 October last year and eventually, moved to Delhi’s borders from 26 November.
Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) (Ugrahan) organised protests at 49 of the 250 places.
BKU (Ugrahan) general secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokri Kalan was quoted as saying, “I remember that from 14 June to 30 June last year, all of our members used to stand on rooftops daily for an hour along with handwritten protest charts as there was a curfew in Punjab and we were not allowed to do assemble,” Indian Express reported.
However, he added, “Slowly, we started village-level protests, later tractor march in July, jail bharo andolan in August. The rail-roko protests came in September and indefinite protests were followed thereafter.”
Singh added, “It has been a year and we have not felt tired even for a day.”
Haryana MLA Devender Singh Babli Apologises
Haryana MLA Devender Singh Babli apologised on Saturday, 5 June, for the abusive comments he made during a run-in with the farmers in the state's Tohana town on Tuesday, while they were protesting the Centre's controversial farm laws.
Babli’s apology came after farm leaders Rakesh Tikait and Gurnam Singh Chaduni led hundreds of farmers to the Tohana Police Station under the banner of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, earlier on Saturday.
Though Tikait accepted the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) MLA’s apology, farmers have continued their protest, demanding the release of those who were arrested after the incident on Tuesday.
Farmers, during Saturday’s protest, also burnt copies of the farm legislations outside the residences of several MPs and MLAs, including outside the residences of Dushyant Chautala and MP Sunita Duggal in Sirsa, outside the residence of Hisar MP Brijendra Singh (son of former Union minister Birender Singh) in Jind, outside the residence of Bhiwani MP Dharambir Singh and outside JJP MLA from Badhra Naina Chautala’s residence, Indian Express reported.
Farmers had also observed ‘Black Day’ on Wednesday, 26 May, holding protests at various places, including the Ghazipur, Singhu and Tikri borders as well as Punjab, where people of Chabba village put up black flags at their houses and on their tractors.
(With inputs from Indian Express)
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