Punjab farmers block railway track, say compensation for land acquisition inadequate

Amritsar: Hundreds of activists of farmers’ outfit Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMC) on Thursday squatted on a railway track and blocked rail traffic at Devidaspura village here over alleged inadequate compensation for the land acquired for the Bharatmala project.

Railway officials said incoming and outgoing trains running between Amritsar and Delhi were affected after 12.30 pm in the wake of the farmers’ protest.

They said all trains on this particular section here are being diverted.

Chabba also alleged that a woman farmer was slapped by a policeman in Gurdaspur district, accusing police of using force against protesting farmers.

”The highhanded attitude of the government and its police which applied force to uproot the farmers from their agriculture land is condemnable,” he said.

Chabba alleged that police cane charged farmers who were protesting peacefully against the government for acquiring their farmlands for the expansion/construction of the Delhi-Katra national highway.

He said the incident occurred at Cheema Khudi village in Gurdaspur.

When asked for how long the farmers will continue to block the railway traffic, Chabba said a series of meetings between the farmers’ outfit and the administration were going on and the final decision would be taken by evening.