The Farmers’ Protest 2.0 at Shambhu and Khanauri on the interstate border between Haryana and Panjab has completed two months. Until now, 17 farmers have died in the protest, over 400 have been injured, and the revenue loss from toll plazas is costing the government $86K per day. Farmers had set 16 Apr as the deadline for the release of activists Anish Khatkar, Gurkirat Singh, and Navdeep Singh Jhalbera – the ‘water cannon man’ from the Farmers' Protest 1.0 (2020-21). They have not been released. On 17 Apr, the farmers blocked trains at Shambhu railway station. The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) on 9 Apr announced it has prepared a questionnaire for BJP candidates. SKM leader Balbir Singh Rajewal said farmers do not have any personal enmity with the BJP but they will pose questions to its candidates if they come to seek their votes. The 11-point questionnaire will be put up at the entry point of all villages. The questions are on legal guarantee on Minimum Support Price, Lakhimpur Kheri mowing down of farmers, farm loan waivers, why roads were blocked to prevent farmers from going to Delhi, and so on. Earlier on 7 Apr, several Panjab farm union leaders, including Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Morcha secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher, were detained at Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. The delegation of farm union leaders had landed at Coimbatore to participate in a planned kalash yatra (final journey) of Shubhkaran Singh killed in the attack by security forces in February this year at the Khanauri border. Upon being released, before starting the yatra, the farm union leaders held a protest against the Indian govt. outside the office of the Coimbatore district collector. (SDW Vol. Vol. 2 Issue 15, Story 2).
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