Farmers defer ‘Delhi Chalo’ rally, seek talks with Centre

Protesting farmers, mainly from Punjab, gathered at an interstate border of Haryana in support of the “Delhi Chalo” foot march, on Friday deferred their march for a day as they claimed that six of them got injured in a clash with security forces.

They said they were ready for talks with the Centre over their demands, including a legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP) for crops and loan waiver, without confrontation with the government.

At the Shambhu border, farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher told the media after holding a meeting with officials of the Haryana government at the protest site, “We have called off ‘jattha’ and not the march to Delhi on Saturday. Six farmers have been injured. They have faced the teargas. A lot of damage has been done.”

Central paramilitary forces have also been deployed on the Haryana side of the border along with the state police.

He said farmers have maintained discipline. “Why treat farmers with animosity? Why stop farmers’ peaceful protests? Farmers are ready for talks with Centre,” Pandher said.

He questioned, “Why is the government behaving with us like an enemy country? We are citizens of this country and have made a lot of sacrifices for the nation.”

Regarding the next course of the protest, he said, “Now ‘jattha’ of 101 farmers will march towards Delhi on Dec.8 at 12 noon. Tomorrow’s day has been kept for talks with the central government.

“They have said that they are ready for talks, so we will wait till tomorrow. We want talks to happen. We do not want a confrontation with the government, we will remain peaceful.”

Haryana Police asked the first batch of 101 farmers that were heading to the national capital not to proceed further and cited a prohibitory order clamped under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).

Earlier in the day, security forces used at least 50 teargas shells to disperse the protesting farmers when they tried to jump the specially erected barricades on the Shambhu border to enter Haryana on their way to Delhi.

Some of the farmers attempted to cross the makeshift barricade shed, heavily guarded by paramilitary and police personnel, by climbing on it. It was set up temporarily on the border to prevent the protesting farmers from moving ahead.

Just before the start of the march, mobile Internet and sending of bulk messages were suspended till Dec.9 in parts of Ambala district.

District officials have already issued orders banning gatherings of five or more people, and government-run and private schools were shut for the day on the administration’s order.

However, the first batch of 101 farmers removed barricades and barbed wires, concrete blocks and iron nails installed just ahead of the barricade shed guarded by a heavy welded wire mesh.

The protesting farmers began the march towards Parliament at 1pm.

After a ruckus of two and a half hours, the farmers returned to their makeshift tents located in Punjab and close to the Shambhu border.

The police had advised the farmers not to move ahead and go back as they didn’t have permission to go ahead.

To prevent disruptions, the Haryana Police had tightened security at the Ambala-Delhi border with multilayered barricades at the Shambhu border on National Highway 44 and also deployed water cannons.

Expressing solidarity with farmers, Punjab Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) President Aman Arora appealed to the Central government to address their demands and warned against actions that could escalate tensions.

In a statement, Arora said, “Punjab’s farmers have decided to begin a peaceful march from the Shambhu border towards Delhi. For the past 10 months, farmer organisations and their supporters have been sitting at Shambhu and Khanauri borders, raising legitimate concerns. The Punjab government has made numerous efforts to mediate and resolve their issues with the Central government, but it seems the Centre is turning a deaf ear to their plight.”

He slammed the Haryana government for imposing prohibitory orders that “are now preventing the farmers from conducting their peaceful march.”

Indo-Asian News Service