NEW DELHI (AP) — Thousands of protesting farmers blocked trains on Thursday by sitting on railroad tracks in parts of northern India to press their demand for the repeal of new agricultural reform laws that have triggered months of massive protests. Samyukta Kisan Morcha, or Joint Farmers’ Front, organized four-hour blockades of trains at two dozen locations. Television showed protesters sitting on railroad tracks in Hapur, Modinagar, Kurukshetra and several other places in Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh states. Authorities deployed thousands of security forces at railroad stations and tracks to prevent any violence. The protesters carried banners and flags denouncing the three laws approved by Parliament in September, which they say will leave them poorer and at the mercy of corporations.

Source: Daily Sun February 18, 2021 08:48 UTC