Farmers stage 'Rail Roko' today to seek Union Minister's resignation
Farmers will today hold a "Rail Roko" protest to call for the sacking and arrest of Union Minister Ajay Mishra over the Lakhimpur Kheri violence. The protesters are expected to block rail tracks from 10 am to 4 pm as part of the agitation. Mishra's son Ashish has already been arrested over the incident where eight people, including four farmers, had lost their lives.
Protesters sit on rail tracks in Punjab and Haryana
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of farmers' unions, has called today's protest. Visuals from the northern states of Punjab and Haryana showed protesting farmers sitting on rail tracks this morning. A group of farmers sat on a railway track at Devi Dasspura village in Amritsar district, raising flags and shouting slogans. The Ferozepur-Fazilka and Ferozepur-Ludhiana sections in Punjab were also affected.
Haryana government deploys RAF personnel in Sonipat
The Northern Railway said that 30 locations have been affected and eight trains were regulated in that zone due to the protest. In Haryana, farmers squatted on rail tracks in Bahadurgarh, some 25 kilometers from national capital Delhi. Authorities, on the other hand, have deployed Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel at the Sonipat railway station to maintain law and order, reports said.
Here are the scenes from Modinagar, UP
'Justice cannot be secured unless Mishra is sacked'
"With Ajay Mishra being the MoS for Home Affairs in the Union Government, justice cannot be secured in this matter," the SKM said. "He promoted hatred, enmity, and communal disharmony between Hindus and Sikhs in his speeches. It is his vehicles that were used to mow down peaceful protesters. He harbored his son and accomplices even as the police was issuing summons to Ashish."
UP Police warns strict action against protesters
Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh Police has warned strict action against those who participate in today's protest. The force said that Section 144 has been imposed in state capital Lucknow, effectively banning the assembly of four or more people. It added those found in violation of the law will be booked under the stringent National Security Act (NSA).
What had happened in Lakhimpur Kheri?
On October 3, violence had broken out in UP's Lakhimpur Kheri during a farmers' protest. A convoy of cars mowed down protesting farmers, killing four of them. In the ensuing unrest, four more people, including members of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and a local reporter, were thrashed to death. Farmers allege Ashish Mishra was involved though he has denied that charge.
Minister's son, facing murder charge, has been arrested
Ashish was arrested days after a case of murder was filed against him. He is currently in police custody. At least three others have also been arrested in connection with the violence. The Congress and other Opposition parties have also been demanding the junior Home Minister's resignation. Leaders of the Congress had also recently met with President Ram Nath Kovind to raise that demand.
