The family of the 21-year-old farmer, who was killed during the protest at the Shambhu border, is not yet ready to cremate him. They have demanded jobs and other financial aid from the central government.
Clashes between farmers and the police left one protester dead on Wednesday (February 21) as farmers resumed their march to the capital after talks with the government failed to end an impasse over their demands for guaranteed crop prices.
According to top intelligence sources, however, the farmers’ stir is quiet as of now as the Rakesh Tikait-led group and Rajewal groups are meeting.
The Punjab police, meanwhile, is in the process of filing an FIR against the Haryana police, but there is no decision yet on this. The Haryana police has maintained that no bullet was fired during the protests as was being claimed.
The sources said the situation is still tense and more mobilisation is expected as farmers are known to take their agitation to the edge. Even though the family is not ready, the first priority is cremation of the deceased farmer, said the sources.
While the death of the youth has been confirmed, the cause will only be clear after the prime minister’s report on the incident, sources added.
The sources further said more mobilisation is expected as farmer groups are asking non-participating groups to join them. The protesting farmers have been stopped in Haryana, and have been restrained by barricading as the situation can go wrong due to the use of force.
Indian farmers began their protest march last week but were stopped some 200 km from New Delhi as police fired rounds of tear gas. The deceased farmer succumbed to a head injury, medical superintendent HS Rekhi at Patiala’s Rajindra Hospital told news agency PTI. He said two others who got injured are in a stable condition.
What is happening at the Punjab-Haryana border?
Last week, the farmers paused their protest and hunkered down near Shambhu, which is close to the border between Punjab and Haryana, as their unions engaged in discussions with the Centre. They rejected a proposal offering them five-year contracts of guaranteed prices on a set of certain crops, including maize, grain legumes and cotton, and decided to resume their march on Wednesday.
Authorities are set on containing the demonstration, which has renewed the movement from over two years ago when tens of thousands camped out on the outskirts of the national capital for over a year. It had even forced Prime Minister Narendra Modi to repeal the three farm laws.
Last week, authorities barricaded highways leading to New Delhi with concrete blocks, metal containers, barbed wire and iron spikes to prevent the farmers from entering. On Wednesday, the farmers arrived at the barricades with bulldozers and excavators to try and push through.
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