Farmers in several places in Punjab and Haryana on Saturday burnt copies of the Centre's three farm laws near residences of BJP leaders and at other places, observing the day of the promulgation of the farm ordinances last year as ''Sampoorna Kranti Diwas''.
Carrying black flags, farmers raised slogans against the BJP-led central government for not scrapping the legislation which, they said, will "destroy" the farming community. Security personnel were deployed and barricades put up near the protest sites to maintain law and order. The call for observing ''Sampoorna Kranti Diwas'' was given by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of the protesting farmer unions, spearheading the agitation against the farm laws.
Protests were held at many places including Amritsar, Jalandhar, Mohali, Abohar, Hoshiarpur, Barnala, Nawanshahr, Patiala, Chandigarh, Sirsa, Jind, Karnal, Panipat and Ambala. In Phagwara, farmers burnt copies of the farm laws near the residence of Union minister Som Parkash at Urban Estate. The protesters assembled near the GT Road and marched towards his residence. Police put up barricades on the road leading to Parkash's house to prevent protesters from reaching there, officials said. The Union minister was not at home at the time of the protest.
In Chandigarh, a protest was held against the Centre for not repealing the farm laws, the main demand of the agitating farmers. In Hoshiarpur, farmers took out a protest march from local Gurdwara Singh Sabha to the local BJP office at Shastri market and then burnt the copies of the legislation.
In Karnal, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar appealed to farmers not to disturb law and order during their protest. In Ambala, farmers held a demonstration near the residence of Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij. A group of farmers affiliated to Bharatiya Kisan Union reached the National Highway number -1 near Ambala Cantonment, around 500 yards away from the residence of the home minister. The entry point of Vij residence at Shastri colony was barricaded and police personnel were also deployed there. Similarly, farmers also held protests near the residence of BJP MLA from Ambala City Aseem Goyal. Goyal was not present in his home when the farmers burnt the copies of the laws.
In Panchkula, police resorted to mild cane charge after a group of farmers tried to force their way through barricades to head towards the home of Haryana Assembly Speaker Gian Chand Gupta.
After being promulgated as ordinances on this day last year, the farm legislations were passed by Parliament in September. The president gave his assent to the bills later that month. Farmers have been camping at Delhi's borders since November last year demanding that the three laws be rolled back and a new law made to guarantee minimum support price (MSP) for their crops.