Vishav Bharti

Tribune News Service

GT Road (Rajpura), January 24

Trails of tractors dot highways across the state as the long march to “reclaim the republic”, as farmers call it, has begun. They move in groups or as solo “warriors” — all headed to join the Republic Day tractor parade in New Delhi.

Langars are commonplace along highways albeit it is not a festival or “shaheedi divas”. “This is a celebration of struggle,” quips Gurvinder Singh, a farmer from Saneta village in Mohali as he fries bread fritters. Even the colour of the fritters is green. “This is the colour of our fields,” he adds.

The youth club of the village has collectively put up a langar for the Delhi marchers. Forget the count, he doesn’t even hazard a guess about the number of marchers they have fed since Sunday morning.

“We have consumed 500 packets of bread and 15 canisters of ghee,” he says, adding they have served langar of “kheer” at Singhu for days.

The tractors started leaving for Delhi on Thursday. While the Delhi Police estimate 70,000 to 1 lakh farm machines on its border, farmer organisations assert it is much higher.

The sight of never-ending trail of tractors is hard to miss. “I have never seen anything like this before,” says Roop Singh, a shopkeeper near Raipur village on the Banur-Landran road. The number on Friday and Saturday was much higher, he adds.

Manjeet Singh from Ballowal Sonkri village in Balachaur left on his Swaraj-855 tractor in the afternoon along with 10 others. “I am moving a little slower. My companions have already crossed Ambala,” he says as he takes a short langar break. His co-travellers say they have every equipment to remove the barricading. “This is the final battle,” he asserts, his hands on the wheel.

Asked if he is sure, he points to a row of tractors: “Do you have any doubt”.

As the sun disappears below the horizon, the march continues amid the sound of blaring speakers: “Pind-pind vich bharo traliaan, hun gall ni banani Canter naal; Hun pecha pai gya Centre naal,” (Hop on to trailers as Canters aren’t enough, for we are at war with the Centre).

Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, January 24

Youth, women and children took part in a tractor march taken out in support of farmers here today. The rally presented a unique sight as city residents rode in tractors, jeeps, cars, two-wheelers and even bicycles for nearly 35 km through several parts of the city.

Starting from from South City at 10 am, the tractor rally passed through the newly constructed Ladhowal bypass, GT Road (NH-44), Clock Tower, Jagraon Bridge, Ferozepur Road and Sidhwan canal. It concluded at the starting point after nearly six hours. A few women driving tractors and a group of Harley Davidson riders remained the star attraction of the march.

All through the route, onlookers cheered and raised slogans in support of farmers while many others marched with the cavalcade for some distance.

A prominent industrialist Ranjodh Singh said the NDA government was testing the patience of agitating farmers.

Aparna Banerji

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, January 24

As all roads lead to Delhi, a farmer union leader is heard assuring a participant over the phone: “Tusi bas tractor lai ke jana hai, tel da kharcha asi davange (You only have to bring your tractor, fuel is on us).”

Amid a massive mobilisation campaign to ensure maximum number of tractors reach the national capital for the Republic Day march, villages and unions across Doaba are providing “free petrol/diesel sewa” to hundreds of vehicles.

On highways, long caravans of tractor-trailers and even JCBs can be seen leaving for the Singhu and Tikri borders to join the tractor march.

To ensure no one willing to join the protest is left out, free fuel is being offered to them. A number of villages have set up kiosks at petrol stations offering free refill for vehicles. NRIs are also chipping in with the service. The BKU (Rajewal), which has mobilised thousands of tractors, is not only providing free fuel to farmers but also sending mechanics along the cavalcades to ensure emergency repairs. The Doaba Kisan Union, too, is offering fuel and repair services at the Delhi border.

Amarjot Singh, Jalandhar youth wing president, BKU (Rajewal), says: “We have told farmers they needn’t worry about fuel expenses. Our representative is accompanying each cavalcade to ensure free fuel. Mechanics, too, are on board in case of a breakdown. At least 100 tractors were sent out yesterday. More will follow today and tomorrow.”

Kuldip Singh, president, Doaba Kisan Union, says: “Over 1,000 tractors headed out from SBS Nagar yesterday, mobilised by our union. A committee at the Tikri border is there to ensure free fuel and repairs are provided to anyone in need. Every farm union at the border has their own mechanics and refuelling arrangements.”

For the past one week, Dyalpur village has sent out messages to villagers assuring the panchayat will organise free refuel for those in need. Sarpanch Harjinder Singh says: “We will provide petrol/diesel refill today to those who have contacted us. Situated right by the highway, the village is also providing ‘tea langar’ to the participants heading to the Delhi border.”

Mumbai, January 24

Thousands of farmers have left for Mumbai from Maharashtra’s Nashik district for a rally to demand repealing of the Centre’s three new farm laws.

The rally organised by Akhil Bharatiya Kisan Sabha will be held in Mumbai on January 25, a statement issued by the organisation said on Saturday.

The rally will be addressed by former Union agriculture minister and NCP chief Sharad Pawar, state Congress president Balasaheb Thorat and Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray.

A delegation will also present a memorandum to Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, the release said.

The farmers owe allegiance to over a 100 organisations under the umbrella of Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), which has given a nationwide call for similar agitations between January 23-26, including taking out rallies to Raj Bhavans in all states.

From Sunday, thousands of farmers will stage a 3-day ‘sit-in’ protest at Azad Maidan in Mumbai in which the ‘vehicle morcha’ will also join them, All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) president Dr. Ashok Dhawale said.

Enacted in September last year, the three laws have been projected by the Centre as major reforms in the agriculture sector that will remove middlemen and allow farmers to sell their produce anywhere in the country.

Thousands of farmers, mostly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, have been camping at several border points of Delhi since November 28 last year, demanding a repeal of these laws.

Multiple rounds of talks between the government and farmer unions have failed to break the impasse so far, while the Supreme Court has appointed a panel for resolution. Agencies

Jammu, January 24

An Army soldier, who was critically injured in Pakistani firing along the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri district last week, succumbed to injuries in the command hospital in Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur district on Sunday, a defence spokesperson said.

He is the third Army personnel to have died in the ceasefire violations by Pakistan this month.

“Pakistan Army had resorted to unprovoked ceasefire violation on the LoC in Sunderbani sector on January 18, which was responded to strongly by Indian troops. In the incident, Naik Nishant Sharma of 10 JAK RIF was critically injured and was under treatment at command hospital,” the spokesperson said.

However, he said the Non-Commissioned Officer succumbed on Sunday.

“Naik Sharma was a brave, highly motivated and a sincere soldier. The nation will always remain indebted to him for his supreme sacrifice and devotion to duty,” the spokesperson said.

Earlier, two Army personnel were killed in separate ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the LoC in Rajouri and Poonch districts on January 1 and 21.

Last year, Jammu and Kashmir recorded 5,100 instances of ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the LoC, the highest in the past 18 years with an average of 14 cases daily.

In these ceasefire violations, as per official data 36 people, including 24 security personnel, were killed and over 130 injured. PTI

Ravinder Saini

Tribune News Service

Jhajjar, January 24

Two days ahead of Republic Day, the Delhi police on Sunday initiated work to clear the Delhi-Rohtak highway at Tikri border with removing boulders from cranes there.

The boulders were placed to prevent entry of protesting farmers who have been camping there for the past around two months. The police also lifted the sand dumped on the highway. However, two-layer simple barricading on the border is yet to be removed.

Purushottam Singh Gill, a leader of Bharatiya Kisan Union (Lakhowal), said the Delhi police had assured to lift the barricading completely before the Republic Day in view of tractor parade to be taken out by protesting farmers on January 26 following the call given by the Sankyukt Kisan Morcha. The route for the tractor parade had been finalised and the parade would be peaceful, he added.

Vikas Sisar, another farmer leader from Haryana, said farmers were enthused over the tractor parade and were gearing up to participate in it. “Volunteers have been roped in to manage the parade. They will be issued identity cards and given special jackets for their recognition,” he added.

Meanwhile, a large number of people from Punjab in buses, cars and tractor-trailers reached Tikri border to join the Tractor parade on Tuesday. Those who have been working in the private sector or doing business have also come here to express solidarity with the farmers.

Jhajjar SP Rajesh Duggal said 25 companies of Paramilitary and Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) along with local police had been deployed at Tikri-Bahadurgarh border and proposed route of the tractor parade to facilitate the farmers and to remove traffic congestion during the tractor parade.

“We have talked to farmers’ leaders who have assured us to take out the tractor parade peacefully,” Duggal added.

New Delhi, January 24

After a gap of over two months, India and China on Sunday held the ninth round of military talks specifically focusing on ways to move forward on the long-negotiated disengagement process in eastern Ladakh as thousands of their troops remained deployed at friction points under freezing conditions.

The Corps Commander-level meeting began around 10 am at Moldo on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh and was continuing late till night, sources said.

People familiar with the negotiations said India insisted that the onus was on China to carry forward the process of disengagement and de-escalation at the friction points. India has been maintaining that the disengagement process has to start simultaneously at all friction points and a selective approach was not acceptable to it.

Close to 1 lakh Indian and Chinese troops are deployed in eastern Ladakh as both sides have been holding on to their ground and showing readiness for a long haul amid continuing diplomatic and military talks to find an amicable solution.

Sunday’s talks took place nearly two weeks after India handed back to China a soldier of the People’s Liberation Army after apprehending him on the southern bank of the Pangong Tso in eastern Ladakh. It is learnt that India’s gesture generated a positive atmosphere. The Indian delegation was led by Leh-based 14 Corps Commander Lt Gen PGK Menon. — PTI

Pullback Onus on Beijing: India

• The ninth round of talks were aimed at initiating steps to disengage troops from all friction points in eastern Ladakh
• The eighth round of talks on November 6 , 2020, had broadly discussed disengagement from specific friction points
• Close to 1 lakh Indian and Chinese troops are deployed in eastern Ladakh

Srinagar, January 24

Amid a raging debate over privacy offered by messaging platforms like WhatsApp, terrorist groups and their handlers from Pakistan are switching to new applications, officials here said.

The three new applications came to light after evidence was collected following encounters with terrorists or those who surrendered before the Army gave details about their mode of radicalisation by Pakistan-based terrorist groups, they said. The names of the messaging apps have been withheld for security reasons.

While one of the applications is owned by a company based in the United States, the second is from Europe. The latest is an application developed by a Turkish company that has been frequently used by terrorist group handlers and their prospective recruits in the Kashmir valley.

The new applications have the ability to work with the slowest Internet connections where Enhanced Data for Global Evolution (EDGE), used in the late 2000s, or 2G is in operation.

The government suspended Internet across Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of the special status of the erstwhile state in August 2019. Early last year, 2G Internet services were restored. Terror groups had virtually stopped using WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. Later, it was found that they had switched over to new applications available free of cost, a security official said.

One of the new messaging apps used by terrorists to radicalise the youth in the Valley does not even ask for phone numbers or emails for enabling complete user anonymity, officials said.

Efforts are on to block such applications in Jammu and Kashmir, they added. — PTI