As per reports, several tractor marches were carried out by farmers’ groups in Punjab and Haryana on Thursday (15 August) to press for their demands. The following are the latest updates:
• In Amritsar, around 600 tractors with Indian flags and flags of farmers’ outfits, participated in a tractor rally, which was led by Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) leader Sarwan Singh Pandher. The march began from Attari and culminated at the Golden Temple, after covering around 30 kilometres.
• In Hoshiarpur, farmers, led by Harpal Singh, president of the Azad Kisan Committee, Doaba, took out a tractor march from Hukran village to the Hoshiarpur District Administrative complex.
• Workers from the Kisan Committee, Doaba, held a protest march from Khanorha village to Chabbewal village. Similar tractor protest marches were also held in Dasuya, Tanda, Mukerian and Garhdiwala areas, organised by workers from the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Azad), Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (Piddi Group), Bharti Kisan Union, and Kisan Ganna Sangharsh Committee, Punjab. Smaller tractor marches by local unions were also reported in Bathinda and Samrala in Ludhiana.
• In Haryana’s Ambala, farmers took out a tractor march which passed through Balana, Shahzadpur and Naraiangarh. The march was led by farmer Navdeep Singh, the farm activist who was recently released after being detained by Ambala Police for several months.
• In Panchkula’s Pinjore, farmers led by Bhartiya Kisan Union (Shaheed Bhagat Singh) leader Tejvir Singh, also held a tractor march.
• At each of the marches, farmers also burned the copies of three new criminal laws — Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA).