Punjab, Haryana farmers seek flood relief, head to Chandigarh

Chandigarh, Aug 22 (IANS) Heavy police force was deployed on the periphery of Chandigarh, the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana, on Tuesday to prevent the entry of crowds of protesting farmers who were demanding compensation from the government for the damage to the crop caused due to floods.

To prevent untoward incident, even Rapid Action Force (RAF) was deployed at Mohali border as the farmers, under the banner of the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha that comprises 16 farmer outfits from Punjab and Haryana, started their
planned march towards Chandigarh.

Elsewhere, farmers staged sit-in protests on toll plazas on national highways to press the state government to accept their demands, including farm debt waiver, remunerative prices for their crops.

During their protest, the farmers did not allow the fee to be deducted for vehicles passing through the toll plazas.

As preventive measures, Punjab Police have taken over 100 farmer leaders from across the state into preventive custody ahead of Tuesday's protest march.

A farmer was killed during a protest at Longowal town in Sangrur district on Monday. The Shiromani Akali Dal has demanded that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann be booked on murder charges.

The police were blamed for the killing the farmer in a clash with police during a protest against a crackdown by the police.