Two days after the “Dilli Chalo” movement was put down, protesting farmers want to try to approach the nation’s capital once more from the Shambhu border between Punjab and Haryana in order to demand their demands, which include loan forgiveness and a legal guarantee for MSP.
A “jatha” of 101 farmers started to march towards Delhi on Friday, December 6, from their protest location at the Shambhu border, but was halted a short distance away by multilayered barricading put up by Haryana security forces. Following reports of multiple protestors being hurt by tear gas shelling by the police near the Shambhu border, the farmers cancelled their demonstration. However, the farmer leaders declared that if the Centre does not start a dialogue with them by tomorrow, the march will take place again on December 8.
In an effort to pressure the Centre for a legal guarantee of the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops, 101 farmers who were members of the Jatha “marjeevras” (someone willing to die for a cause) started marching towards Delhi on Friday. Along with MSP, the farmers are calling for the cancellation of police proceedings against farmers, the remission of farm loans, pensions for farmers and farm workers, no increase in power rates, and “justice” for the victims of the Lakhimpur Kheri riots in 2021.
The march was halted for the day by protesting farmers hours after it began after some of them were hurt by tear gas shells at the Punjab-Haryana border. Five to six farmers were hurt by the tear gas shelling, according to a farmer representative. Sarwan Singh Pandher later announced the suspension of the march for the day and said the injured farmers were taken to a hospital.
For Sunday’s planned demonstration, Delhi police have erected barricades and put nails at the Shambhu Border due to security worries. Under the auspices of the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha and the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (a non-political organisation), the farmers have been clamouring for a legislative guarantee for MSP from the Centre. Since security forces halted their march to Delhi on February 13, they have been camped at the Shambhu and Khanauri border posts between Punjab and Haryana.
At a press conference on Friday, the farmer leaders declared that if the government does not start negotiations by tomorrow, 101 farmers would march towards Delhi on December 8 at noon. Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher, speaking at the Shambhu border, said they would wait until tomorrow for discussions with the government. “We will wait till tomorrow for talks with the government, otherwise, a ‘Jatha’ of 101 farmers will march towards Delhi on 8 December at 12 noon,” he said.
The Haryana government on Friday suspended mobile internet and bulk SMS service in 11 villages of Ambala district till December 9. The ban was enforced in Dangdehri, Lohgarh, Manakpur, Dadiyana, Bari Ghel, Lhars, Kalu Majra, Devi Nagar, Saddopur, Sultanpur and Kakru villages.
