Samyukta Kisan Morcha to celebrate Feb 23 as Pagdi Sambhal Day

New Delhi, Feb 19 (IANS) The Samyukta Kisan Morcha has urged everybody to observe February 23 as "Pagdi Sambhal Day. The day will be celebrated to assert the self-respect of farmers in memory of 'Chacha' Ajit Singh, the uncle of iconic revolutionary Bhagat Singh and founder of the "Pagdi Sambhal" movement.Farmers have been agitating around the national capital against the new farm laws for more than three months. The song "Pagdi Sambhal", written by Banke Dayal, was a precursor to the peasant movement against agricultural laws by the colonial British government, in 1906. The reflections of the movement that Chacha Ajit Singh had started at that time can be observed in this farmers' movement as well. The Samyukta Kisan Morcha has made an appeal to all farmers to participate in this programme by placing posters and banners of Chacha Ajit Singh on tractors and other vehicles and by wearing a green turban.On the other hand, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha has expressed deep condolences to the victim's family after the death of two of the three Dalit sisters in Unnao, Uttar Pradesh. The governance and administration system of Uttar Pradesh is once again under suspicion where there is no safe space for women. We demand proper medical treatment of the injured women and a high-level impartial investigation into this incident and strict punishment to the culprits," said a statement issued by the farmers' body.
--IANS msk-ash