FIRs against protesting farmers to be cancelled: Punjab CM

Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Wednesday said all FIRs filed by the Punjab police against farmers, who are protesting against the Centre’s farm laws within State boundaries, would be cancelled. He also promised farmers that old cases of stubble burning would be dropped.

The announcement came hours after Channi held a meeting with a delegation of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), which has been spearheading protests against three contentious laws. Cancelling of the FIRs was one of the major demands of the SKM.

At a press conference, Channi said more recent cases against farmers for stubble burning would be “sympathetically considered” to safeguard the interest of the farming community. He, however, appealed to farmers to refrain from the practice.

Channi’s statement comes amid rising incidents of stubble burning with Punjab recording over 69,000 such incidents this season.

Stubble burning is banned but many farmers continue to flout it. Delhi and Haryana have taken several emergency measures including the closure of schools (in four districts in Haryana) and a ban on construction work to curb air pollution.

The Punjab CM also announced his government’s decision to raise the compensation for the loss of the cotton crop to Rs 17,000 per acre from Rs 12,000 per acre.

Referring to the demand for waiving outstanding farm loans, Channi said he would have a separate meeting with the farmers after detailed deliberations with the state’s Finance Department.

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