The Aryavarth Express
Agency(New Delhi): Sarwan Singh Pandher, leader of the Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, has made serious allegations against paramilitary forces, accusing them of employing military-grade ammunition against farmers participating in the ongoing protests. He contends that expired ammunition is being used deliberately to avoid a paper trail.
At a press briefing, Pandher displayed items resembling smoke shells and rubber bullets typically used by military forces, not the police. He claimed that such ammunition bursts upon impact, leading to injuries. The allegation also includes the use of Self-Loading Rifle (SLR) bullets, purportedly purchased privately, as reported by ANI.
The agitation has led to a countrywide crackdown on farmers, according to Pandher, with reports of arrests and restrictions preventing them from leaving their homes. In response to the situation, farmers from Rajpura and Patiala have initiated a railway blockade at Rajpura Railway Station.
In spite of these confrontations, farmer leaders were scheduled to engage in discussions with three Union ministers on Thursday. The ‘Delhi Chalo’ movement, led by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, is demanding that the Centre meet several of their demands. These include the enactment of a law to guarantee Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops, loan waivers, and the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations.
The farmers, who have gathered at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders for their ‘Delhi Chalo’ campaign, are also calling for pensions for farmers and farm laborers, a farm debt waiver, the withdrawal of police cases, and seeking “justice” for the victims of the Lakhimpur Kheri violence. Additionally, they demand the reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act 2013, a withdrawal from the World Trade Organisation, and compensation for families of farmers who died during the previous protests.