Jamshedpur: The Central Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (CGPC), apex body of the city’s Sikh community, staged a sit-in and a daylong hunger strike at Sakchi roundabout on Monday in support of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha’s nationwide protest against the proposed India-US trade deal.Protesters claimed the agreement could harm India’s agriculture and dairy sectors by facilitating the entry of cheaper agricultural, dairy and poultry products from the US. They said small and marginal farmers, dairy producers, livestock owners and local traders would find it difficult to compete with low-priced imports.The protesters also demanded a legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP) for farm produce and urged the Centre to address farmers’ concerns.Jharkhand Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee president Shailendra Singh accused the Centre of compromising farmers’ interests to please US President Donald Trump. Speakers also termed the reported action against protesting students at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar “undemocratic”. Several gurdwara presidents and Sikh community members joined the agitation.
