New Delhi: Farmer leaders have called for their ‘Dilli Chalo’ protest march for the day after several farmers were reportedly injured in tear gas shelling by police at the Shambu border on Friday.
The announcement was made by farmer leaders on Friday evening.
Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said that the ‘Jatha,’ a group of 101 farmers participating in the ‘Dilli Chalo’ march, was recalled after six farmers were injured when Haryana Police used tear gas to disperse the crowd at the Punjab-Haryana Shambhu border.
He said that a meeting would be held to decide the future course of action.
“We have recalled the ‘Jatha,’ not the march to Delhi. Six farmers have been injured,“ Pandher said. He added, “They (police) will not let us go to Delhi. Farmer leaders have been injured, and we will hold a meeting to decide our future strategy.”
Heavy police force was deployed at the Haryana-Punjab border, where the 101 farmers were stopped. Drone footage showed barricades set up by the police.
The police used tear gas to disperse the protesting farmers at the Shambhu border.
A police officer stationed at the border said, “The farmers do not have permission to enter Haryana. The Ambala administration has imposed section 163 of the Bhartiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).”
Earlier, Pandher had stated, “We should be allowed to march towards Delhi peacefully, or the authorities should engage with us regarding our demands. The doors for talks are open from the farmers’ side. If the government wants to talk, they should show us a letter from the central government or the Chief Minister’s office in Haryana or Punjab. We want the central government to accept our demands, provide us with a place to protest in Delhi, and restore internet services in Ambala.”
The farmers had announced they would march towards Delhi on Friday to press for various demands, including compensation and a legal guarantee for the Minimum Support Price (MSP). The protest was being led by the Bhartiya Kisan Parishad (BKP) in collaboration with other farmer groups.
In response to the protests, the Haryana government ordered an internet shutdown in ten villages of Ambala from December 6 to 9, citing the need to prevent the spread of misinformation via social media. The affected villages include Dangdehri, Lohgarh, Manakpur, and Saddopur. However, essential services such as banking and mobile recharges remain operational.
Meanwhile, Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Bhagirath Choudhary invited the farmers for talks, saying, “The doors are open for the farmers to come and have a dialogue regarding their issues. I am also their brother, and if they want to come, the doors are open. If they want us to go to them, we will go and have a dialogue.”
