New Delhi: Protesting farmers have postponed their march to Delhi midway after the Haryana police use tear gas and water cannons at the Shambhu border. The farmers say they will announce the next step after stock-taking.
The group of 101 farmers had resumed the march towards Delhi afternoon, equipped with masks, goggles, and other protective gear. But they had to stop at the multi-layered barricades at the border after the police used tear gas shells and water cannons.
Farmer leader from Punjab Sarwan Singh Pandher said at least eight farmers were injured and one of them was rushed to Chandigarh’s Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research.
“We know very well that 101 farmers won’t be able to march forward with the kind of preparation that has been done by the authorities. It is quite clear what is the intention of the government,” he said.
The farmers, he added, would decide their next course of action after a meeting of their forums — the Samyuka Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha – which are backing the protest.
The police have questioned the identity of some of the protesters. “We have a list of the names of 101 farmers and they are not those people. They are not letting us identify them – they are moving ahead as a mob,” a Haryana police official told ANI.
A farmer, however, said the police have a wrong list of names. “Their list doesn’t have the names of farmers coming here. We have asked them (the police) to let us move ahead and we will show them our identity cards. But the police are saying that we don’t have the permission to move ahead,” the farmer said.Yesterday, Mr Pandher had denied receiving any message on talks from the government. “The government is in no mood to hold talks,” he said while addressing the media.
A heavy deployment of police personnel has been made at the Shambhu border, which falls between Punjab and Haryana. Barricades have been erected and spikes fixed on the roads to stop vehicles from crossing, showed visuals this morning.
Haryana Police has also appealed to mediapersons to maintain proper distance from the gathering at Shambhu border and other places. The state police chief has been asked to stop journalists covering the protests about 1 km before the Punjab-Haryana border.
The farmers have been protesting over various demands, which include a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP), a farm debt waiver, pension for farmers, and no hike in electricity tariff. They are also demanding the withdrawal of police cases against farmers and “justice” for the victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence, besides reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013.
Farmer leader Rakesh Tikait, national spokesperson of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), has called for unity among the farmers and said they are exploited because they are divided. Talking about the ongoing protest, he said they would talk to the authorities.
