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Thousands of farmers began a 'Delhi Chalo' (Let's go to Delhi)
march last week but were stopped by security forces about 200 km
(125 miles) north of the capital, with water cannons and teargas
being used to push them back.
Farmer leaders on Thursday announced a series of "mega programs"
across India to press their demands. The "Black Day" on Friday
will be followed by a tractor rally on highways on Feb. 26, and
a farm workers' public meeting in Delhi on March 14.
Black flags were hoisted on tractors and trolleys lined up at
the protest site on Friday. Several protesters, most of whom are
Sikhs from the northern state of Punjab, also tied black cloth
over their turbans in solidarity.
Farmers also burnt effigies also of Home (interior) Minister
Amit Shah and the chief minister of Haryana state, whose police
force they accuse of using force against them, and chanted
slogans demanding minimum prices for their crops.
A general election is due by May.
PROTESTER'S DEATH
The farmers paused their march for two days on Wednesday after
the death of a protester, which they blamed on police
aggression.
Sartaj Singh, a senior police officer in Punjab's Sangrur
district, where the incident took place, said the man died at a
protest site but that the cause of his death would be known only
after the autopsy.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday announced
compensation of 10 million rupees ($120,000) for the dead man's
family.
Farmer leaders rejected the compensation and said they would not
allow the autopsy to be conducted until a murder case is
registered.
"We will have a meeting in the evening to decide next steps
(regarding the march)," farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher told
reporters.
Amnesty International condemned the protester's death and urged
the government to "respect, protect and facilitate the right to
freedom of peaceful assembly".
"The price of protest must not be death," said Aakar Patel,
chair of board at Amnesty International India.
($1 = 82.8880 Indian rupees)
(Additional reporting by Rupam Jain; Editing by YP Rajesh and
Timothy Heritage)
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