KHANAURI BORDER/JIND: The place where Jagjit Singh Dallewal is on a hunger strike unto death has been turned into a fortified area. Trailers have been placed to block off the area, connecting everyone together by welding machine. Surveillance is being carried out through CCTV cameras from all directions. Every vehicle and individual coming to the protest site is being thoroughly checked before being allowed to enter at naka erected at the entrance. These strict measures have been implemented to prevent any security breach and to avoid any police action.
Barricades have been set up on the road leading to the protest site, where workers from the sanyukt kisan morcha (non-political) and the kisan mazdoor morcha (KMM) record the number of each vehicle and monitor every activity in a register maintained at the spot.
After thorough checking and satisfaction, only then are people allowed to proceed to the protest site. For security reasons, the protest site and hunger strike site have now been moved between both ends of the protest area. Previously, the daily protest was being held very close to the barricading spot set up by the Haryana Police, but now the location has been shifted to the center, towards Punjab, which has been fortified as well.
Considering the cold weather, farmers from nearby villages are continuously arriving with firewood to burn and protect themselves from the cold, mainly for elderly people.
However, langar services (community kitchen) at multiple locations and other basic amenities like hot water, tarpaulin on every tent erected on the highway, and dharna from morning to 3 pm continue consistently.
Joginder Nain, state president of BKU and one of the members of a six members’ delegation formed by samyukt kisan morcha, an umbrella body of farmers, stated that on seeing the situation an SKM meeting has been called in Narwana town of Jind district on Thursday. In the meeting further decisions will be taken for the ongoing protest. “our issues are the same against the policies of the centre and a strategy is being made to bring all organisations under one roof. Moreover, we have extended the support to this protest,” he added.
