Talks with central govt fail again; Farmers to block passenger trains in Punjab on Thursday

NEW DELHI: Nothing changed for good as clashes continued even on Wednesday in the ‘Delhi Chalo’ protest of farmers demanding compliance with the assurances given by the central government. In a bid to intensify the protest, the farmers have decided to block trains in various stations in Punjab on Thursday between 12 noon to 4 pm. The protest is conducted under the aegis of Bharti Kisan Union Ekta Ugrahan.

The third round of discussions held online yesterday by the farmers' leaders with Union Ministers Piyush Goyal, Nityanand Rai and Arjun Munda ended up being futile. The leaders protested the way the police were handling the strike and the arrest of farmer leader Akshay Narwal. The discussion with the central government will resume even on Thursday. Meanwhile, the Haryana-Punjab High Court will hear the Public Interest Litigation against police personnel on Thursday.

Farmers of Punjab were denied entry into Haryana even on Wednesday. Tractors and trolleys have been lying for kilometres on the Shambhu border on the Haryana-Punjab border for two days.

In the morning, when hundreds of farmers moved near the barricades, the Haryana police fired tear gas at them. 56 people were injured in the clash and are undergoing treatment at Patiala Hospital. Farmer leader K V Biju informed that the injuries of three people are serious. 40 people were taken into custody.