Samyukta Kisan Morcha and Joint Platform of Central Trade Unions and Federations to observe Black Day on 3rd October 2023 across India

The farmers and workers across the country will observe 3rd October 2023 as Black Day with protest demonstrations, effigy burning and public meetings at district and tehsil headquarters across the country. The call had been issued by the All-India Joint Convention of Farmers and Workers held on 24th August 2023 at Talkatora Stadium, New Delhi on behalf of Samyukta Kisan Morcha and Joint Platform of Central Trade Unions and Federations

The main demand of the protest is dismissal and prosecution of the alleged conspirator of the Lakhimpur Kheri massacre of farmers on 3rd October, 2021, the Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Mishra Teni. The Minister and his son Ashish Mishra Teni were the masterminds of the massacre and four farmers Nakshatra Singh, Gurvinder Singh, Lavpreet Singh and Daljeet Singh and one journalist Raman Kashyap were killed in this attack. It was part of the design by the BJP to suppress the United Farmers Struggle against the three pro-corporate Farm Acts aimed at corporatisation of Agriculture. However, the United Farmers Struggle, that was actively supported by the Joint Platform of Central Trade Unions and Federations,

had succeeded to force the Prime Minister to tender an apology and repeal the three Farm Acts in the Parliament. 735 farmers were martyred during this historic agitation.

During the last two years, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not ask Ajay Mishra Teni to resign or dismiss him from the cabinet. The PM is protecting the chief conspirator behind the murder of farmers though his name was registered in the FIR. Only after the Supreme Court intervened in the matter and directed to arrest the culprits, the BJP led State Government in Uttar Pradesh arrested Ashish Mishra Teni and other accused. The innocent farmers have also been arrested and imprisoned by the State Government.

This black day observance also symbolises protest against all incidents of repression/attacks on the democratic movement of the toiling people and onslaughts on their rights with a determination to combat and resist such repressive designs.

Modi government has been authoritarian in nature and brought the notorious Essential Defence Services Act criminalizing the strikes not only by the defence sector but all related services and even those who support strike.

BJP and the right-wing state governments are highly undemocratic, unleashing repression and terror and evoking draconian laws including UAPA against the workers, farmers and other sections of the people who are raising their voice for their rights and entitlements and against anti people policies.

Many of the false cases lodged against the farmers during the historic kisan struggle are yet to be withdrawn.

The Joint Platform of Central Trade Unions/Federations and the Samyukta Kisan Morcha strongly protest the pro-corporate, anti-farmer, anti-worker and anti-national  policies of the Modi Government.