Kisan Mukti Yatra starts from Machhibhanga in Bhangar

Kisan Mukti Yatra’s eastern leg started with a public meeting at the Machhibhanga village of Bhangar block of South 24 Parganas. The meeting was addressed by Hannan Mollah, General Secretary, AIKA, Dr. Sunilam of NAPM Yogendra Yadav of Jai Kisan Andolan, and others. Machhibhanga is the same village where two peasants — Mofizul Khan and Alamgir Mollah — were killed in policy firing on peasants agitating against acquisition of land in name of constructing a power grid station.

The Kisan Mukti Yatra started from Mandsaur in Madhya Pradesh where 6 farmers died because of police firing on agitating farmers. With demands for farm loan waiver and remunerative prices of crops, the Yatra is going to every nook and corner of the country.

In Machhibhanga village, Trinamool government privatised the fishing cooperative that had been built during the Left Front Government. Until two months ago, farmers in this area were forced to sell paddy at Rs 700 for a 60 kg bag. The same paddy is now being sold by traders at Rs. 1000 per bag.

Basic health facilities in the area, and in West Bengal in general, have collapsed under the Trinamool Government. Kisan leader Mohirjan Bibi, seriously injured in police firing, died of dengue 15 days back. There has been an outbreak of Dengue in this area and in West Bengal, with hundreds of deaths. After much pressure, the Trinamool Government has accepted that 40 deaths have taken place on account of Dengue in West Bengal, while in reality the number of deaths are in hundreds.