Farmers’ organisations and a joint platform for central trade unions in Jharkhand on Tuesday observed a black day in different parts of the state, remembering the Lakhimpur Kheri massacre on this day in 2021, and demanded the dismissal and prosecution of the main accused Union minister of state for home affairs, Ajay Mishra Teni.

The call had been issued by the All-India Joint Convention of Farmers and Workers on August 24 this year in New Delhi on behalf of Samyukta Kisan Morcha and the joint platform of central trade unions and federations.

“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 the corporatisation of agriculture,” alleged Jamshedpur-based Intuc leader Shahnaz Rafique.

Rallies and protests were taken out in Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Dhanbad, Bokaro and other parts of Jharkhand.

A protest march was taken out from Sainik Market to Albert Ekka roundabout (a distance of over 1km) in Ranchi amid slogans against the Union minister for killing the farmers in Uttar Pradesh.

“Hundreds of farmers and trade union members took part in the march carrying red and black flags and placards in their hands and raising slogans. We will not stop unless the Modi-led central government dismisses the Union minister,” said Bhubaneshwar Kewat, a CPI and AICCTU leader from Ranchi.

“Labour code is a document of slavery of workers which is not accepted by the workers of the country. If the labour code is not withdrawn, the central government will be changed,” said AITUC state president Ashok Yadav.

Kewat said that the central government has descended into a dictatorship.

“The central government is functioning like a dictator and has gone back on its promise of taking action against the killers of farmers. The farmers’ movement has flared up against the non-punishment of the killers who committed suicide by running over vehicles during the farmers’ movement. Now this movement will prove costly for the Centre,” said Kewat who represented AICCTU.

CITU leader Anirban Bose accused the central government of selling the country’s property under the guise of nationalism and termed it a betrayal to the country.