Replying to a question, Jagjit Singh Dallewal, leader of SKM (Non-Political) that is spearheading the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march along with the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, claimed the senior superintendent of police of Bathinda has said that police could not register a case against Haryana security personnel.”If you cannot register a case, then how can you call yourself ‘Punjab de rakhe’ (Punjab’s protector),” Dallewal posed, adding that the police officer told them that if they registered a case, then Haryana security personnel would also do so.Replying to another question, Dallewal said, “A youth died during our agitation. Our priority is to ensure justice for him. We are concentrating on it. It is up to the Punjab government how soon it will give justice to us.”Asked about the next course of action on the call for the march to the national capital, Pandher said, “We will hold a meeting and make our stand clear.” The SKM, which spearheaded a 2020–21 agitation against three farm laws that have since been repealed, is not a part of the “Delhi Chalo” agitation, but has extended support for it.The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) are spearheading the “Delhi Chalo” march to press the Centre to accept their demands, including a legal guarantee on the MSP and farm loan waiver.Members of the SKM (Non-Political) and KMM put up black flags on their vehicles to register their protest against Singh’s death.Farmer leaders put the march on hold for two days on Wednesday after Singh’s death and said they would decide their next course of action on Friday evening.Besides the MSP, the farmers from Punjab are also demanding the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations, pensions for farmers and farm labourers, no hike in the electricity tariff, withdrawal of police cases and “justice” for the victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence in Uttar Pradesh.Reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013 and compensation to the families of the farmers who died during the 2020–21 agitation against the three farm laws are also among their demands.
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