Farmers make a stop at the grain market before heading to the mahapanchayat of SKM

On Wednesday night, buses carrying a sizable contingent of Punjabi farmers—many of them women—arrived at the new grain market in Rohtak. Before traveling to Delhi to attend a mahapanchayat hosted by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) to promote their demand for a legal guarantee of MSP, they spent the night there.

The majority of them were from the Sangrur and Muktsar regions. In case of an emergency, they also carried rations, clothing, mats, blankets, and everyday necessities. They slept on the ground, under the shed of the grain market, and on the tops of buses.

“All of the farmers have stopped at this grain market to relax and eat supper. They are all BKU (Ugrah) members. BKU leader Gurpash Singh from Muktsar remarked, “We have brought dry rations and other items with us to prepare food for the night.”

He said that most of the farmers who arrived there were also involved in the protests against the three agricultural laws that took place at the Bahadurgarh-Tikri border for more than 13 months in 2021. They were thus acquainted with the customs and way of life of the people of Haryana, particularly in the districts of Rohtak and Jhajjar.

According to Gurpash, there were a lot of other farmers residing in Sampla town as well as at the farmers’ dharna site in Titoli village. Our key demand is a legal guarantee to the MSP. Since it will be crucial to the wellbeing of farmers, we are willing to make all sacrifices necessary to see it through to completion,” he said.

Another farmer, Jagsher Singh, expressed dissatisfaction at the lack of potable water and restroom facilities despite having permission from the district officials to spend the night in the grain market. He did, however, note that a police car was positioned there to provide security.