New Delhi: The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) announced to start a 75-hour protest at Lakhimpur Kheri from Thursday to pressurise the government for its pending demands.
SKM is an umbrella farmer group with 40 agriculture organizations, mainly demanding proper implementation of Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops.
Earlier on July 31, farmers of Punjab blocked railway tracks at Valhalla in Amritsar, Bathinda and protested at Shambhu toll plaza in Ambala, Barwala in Panchkula and Cheeka in Kaithal against the central government for not fulfilling their demands.
However, the farmers have chosen Lakhimpur Kheri for the dharna, where some farmers were trampled by a car last year. For the incident, local farmers had blamed the Union minister and his son Ashish Mishra for the violence in which eight people, including four farmers, a local journalist and others, were killed.
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On December 14, the SKM asked the Minister of State (MoS) in the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoS) Ajay Mishra from the Center after the Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up to probe the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case termed the incident a “pre-planned conspiracy” before a judicial magistrate. The demand was raised for the dismissal and arrest of Teni.
Citing the fact that the SIT recommended removal of existing Indian Penal Code (IPC) 279, 338, 304A and levying of Section 307, 326, 34 and Section 3, 25 and 30 of Arms Act on 13 accused is of. The SKM claimed that, “The SIT investigation confirms the stand of the United Kisan Morcha and the protesting farmers that the Lakhimpur Kheri incident was a pre-planned massacre.”
The SKM urged the Center to stop providing the alleged security to the minister and reiterated its demand for his dismissal and arrest.
