Farmer union calls off stir near Punjab CM's residence in Sangrur

A farmer union on Friday called off its 20-day-long protest near the residence of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann in Sangrur district following an assurance from the state government that their demands will be met.

Farmers under the banner of the BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) had been protesting since October 9. Their demands included compensation for crop damage due to rain and pest attack, Rs 200 per quintal for managing paddy stubble, adequate relief against land acquisition and minimum support price for crops like maize and moong.

The decision to end the stir came after a meeting between leaders of the union and Punjab Agriculture Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal at Circuit House in Patiala.

"We have reached a consensus on all demands of farmers after a meeting with union leaders of the BKU, Ugrahan. Farmers have agreed to call off their protest," Dhaliwal said after the meeting.

Farmer union president Joginder Singh Ugrahan said the government has agreed to fulfil their demands. "We have got a written assurance from the government that they will fulfil our demands. Therefore, we are calling off the protest," he said. During the stir, protesters had parked their tractor-trailers on a three-km stretch.

Farmers had been carrying ration, mattresses, cooking gas cylinders, fans and other essentials to the protest site to press the chief minister to accept their demands.