'Rail Roko Andolan': Samyukt Kisan Morcha holds protest across Punjab over MSP issue

Farmers across Punjab held a four-house 'rail roko' protest on Sunday from 11 am to 3 pm in response to a call given for a nationawide protest by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha(SKM).

SKM is an umbrella group comprising around 40 farm organisations, primarily demanding the proper implementation of minimum support price (MSP) for crops.

The railway track have been blocked at Vallah in Amritsar, Bathinda by the farmers. There were protests at Shambhu toll plaza in Ambala, Panchkula's Barwala and Kaithal's Cheeka against the Union government for not fulfilling their demands.

"When we had held protests in Delhi, the Centre assured us to fulfill our demands but, till now, no one has fulfilled it. We are demanding the implementation of minimum support price (MSP) for crops," Gurlal Singh, a farmer protesting in Amritsar quoted telling ANI.

Passengers are stuck at the railway station in Amritsar amid a rail-roko protests by farmers. The decision to hold the protest was taken at a state body meeting at the office of the Bharti Kisan Union (Lakhowal) in Ludhiana on July 11.

The SKM also intends to hold a protest against the Aam Aadmi Party-led government on August 3 over several issues such as non-payment of sugarcane dues and compensation for cotton crop damaged by whitefly.