SKM urges nationwide farmer protests on March 28

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), a national farmers' organization, is urging farmers across India to hold protests on March 28. This call comes after the Punjab Police detained several farmer leaders in Mohali. The leaders were returning from a meeting in Chandigarh with Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. In a statement on Sunday, SKM criticized the Punjab Police for their actions against farmers. They claimed that around 350 farmer leaders and activists were arrested. The police also dismantled tents and stages set up by the protesters at key locations, including Khanauri and Shambu borders. Jagjit Singh Dallewal, a senior farmer leader who has been on an indefinite hunger strike since November, was recently moved from a hospital in Jalandhar to one in Patiala. Dallewal and others were detained while trying to leave Mohali after their meeting with government officials, which addressed farmers' demands, including a law for minimum support prices for crops. The SKM stated that the protests aim to oppose what they call police repression against farmers in Punjab. They also called for unity among different farmer organizations to protect their right to protest. Previous attempts by farmers to march to Chandigarh were blocked by the police, leading to rising tensions between the farmers and the state government.