Peasants Jam National Highway in Bareilly

THOUSANDS of peasants agitated by grabbing of their agricultural lands for the national highway and a bypass in Bareilly are sitting on a protest dharna with the demand of appropriate compensation on 25 January. Their lands were captured five years ago, now a road has been built while their fight for the compensation still goes on. Led by AIKM leader Afroz Alam nearly two dozen peasants, men and women, started a fast unto death on 29 January and on the following day the highway was jammed by thousands of villagers in their support. The agitated villagers have been meeting various officials and elected representatives for many years but to no avail, after the road was jammed the administration appeared on the spot and agreed to call the NHAI authorities for direct negotiations with the aggrieved farmers leading to temporary suspension of the blockade. The hunger strike and dharna still continues. Comrade Afroz Alam has said that this incident once again exhibits anti-farmer character of the current regime which doesn’t want to pay for the lands of the farmers even after so many years, while the concerned company is collecting massive amounts of revenue through the toll tax from the same road.