Farmers' march stopped at Shambhu border, police fire tear gas to disperse protesters

Protesting farmers on Friday suspended their foot march to Delhi for the day after some of them suffered injuries due to tear gas shells fired by security personnel, who stopped them at the Punjab-Haryana border.

As part of a call given by the farmer unions Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, a 'jatha' of 101 farmers began its march on foot to Delhi at 1 pm from their protest site at the Shambhu border to press for various demands, including a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP). The farmers have also been pressing the Centre to initiate talks with them to address their issues.

The 'jatha' was stopped a few metres away by multilayered barricading erected by Haryana security personnel. Water cannon vehicles had also been deployed at the Shambhu border point.

The Haryana Police asked the farmers not to proceed further and cited a prohibitory order clamped by the Ambala administration under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) that bans unlawful assembly of five or more people in the district.

Undeterred by the prohibitory orders, the farmers attempted to force their way through the barricades but were stopped.

The security personnel lobbed multiple tear gas shells to disperse the protesting farmers and force them to go back to their protest site at Shambhu, which falls in Punjab's territory.

Several farmers rushed to cover the tear gas shells with wet jute bags to counter the smoke. Many of them were seen uprooting iron nails and barbed wire installed on the road to deter their march.

Chanting 'Satnam Waheguru' and holding their union flags, many farmers of the 'jatha' crossed the initial layer of barricades easily but could not proceed any further.

A few of them were seen pushing an iron mesh put up by security personnel down the bridge constructed over the Ghaggar River. One of the protesters climbed the roof of a tin shade where security forces had been stationed.

He was forced to climb down.

Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said in the evening that at least eight farmers were injured, two of them seriously, due to the tear gas shells as he slammed the Haryana government for ''committing excesses against farmers''. The injured also include farmer leader Surjit Singh Phul.

The injured were taken to a hospital in ambulances stationed at the protest site, the farmer leaders said.

Haryana Police said protesting farmers created ruckus and also made their best efforts to demolish police barricades set up at the Haryana side of the border.

It said no responsible farmer leader was visible in the 'jatha', claiming that some of the protesters were ''violent''.

Police also shared some pictures, showing the ruckus being created by farmers.

Haryana Inspector General of Police, Ambala Range, Sibash Kabiraj said elaborate security arrangements were made in the wake of the Punjab farmers' call of heading to Delhi.

Complete preparations were made by the police administration to deal with any untoward incident, said police.

''More than 101 farmers participated in this group of farmers, including some who were violent. They repeatedly tried their best to break police barricades by tying chains on the iron nets of the police barricades and created havoc. No responsible farmer leader was visible in this group.

''The police administration exercised restraint and repeatedly warned farmers to stay back and not to disturb law and order. During this period, appropriate action was taken by police to maintain law and order,'' they said.

No one will be allowed to take law and order into their own hands and legal action will be taken against anyone who does not follow the law, he further said.

The Ambala Police also said prohibitory orders under Section 163 were imposed by the district administration. Besides, as per the order of the Supreme Court in July, directions were to maintain the status quo at the Shambhu border so that no untoward incident occurs, the police statement said.

Kabiraj said farmers' outfits should march to Delhi after taking permission from the Delhi administration and showing the same to the Ambala administration.

Farmer leader Pandher, during his interaction with reporters here, termed the 101 farmers who were part of the jatha ''marjeevras'' (someone willing to die for a cause).

He said he believed that some more farmers might have suffered injuries.

''We have called back the 'jatha' for today in view of the injuries suffered by a few farmers,'' Pandher told reporters here.

''We appeal to the government to either hold a dialogue with us or allow us to move to Delhi. They are behaving as if we are enemies from some other country. Punjabis and the farmers have made maximum sacrifices for the nation,'' he said.

He called the ''use of force'' by Haryana security personnel ''unwarranted''.

''They have made this place (Shambhu border) like India's border with Pakistan or China,'' Pandher claimed.

On the next course of action, the farmer leader said the 'jatha' will now leave for Delhi on Sunday.

''We will wait until tomorrow if any proposal comes for holding talks (from the Centre). Now, whether the Centre wants to hold a dialogue or not will be their decision, we want talks to be held.

''We do not want any confrontation with the Centre and we will keep our (Delhi Chalo) programme peaceful,'' he added.

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini told reporters that the steps which the BJP government has taken for farmers' welfare, no other government has taken such steps. ''We are procuring 100 per cent crops of farmers at MSP,'' he said.

Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said everyone has the right to come and go anywhere or express their views peacefully in a democracy, but the BJP government wants to snatch this right from farmers.

''The farmers had agreed to go to Delhi without tractor-trolleys, following the government's words. In such a situation, stopping them is completely undemocratic,'' the Congress leader said.

Haryana's Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Sumita Misra said in addition to Ambala, prohibitory orders under Section 163 have also been imposed in four other districts so that no untoward incident takes place.

On Shambhu and Khanauri side of the Haryana-Punjab border adequate arrangements to maintain law and order have been taken, she said.

Shortly before the farmers' march, the Haryana government on Friday suspended mobile internet and bulk SMS service in 11 villages of the Ambala district till December 9.

Misra said, ''We have written to the Punjab government that on their side where we have identified 17-18 villages, where we have recommended suspension of the mobile internet services''.

Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Panipat on December 9 for an event, Misra said that standard procedures, including those related to security and traffic arrangements, are being made.

Punjab minister and state president of AAP Aman Arora said the Haryana government's ''blocking roads to Delhi is unconstitutional and inhumane'' and appealed to the Centre ''to urgently address their (farmers') demands''.

Speaking to reporters, Pandher slammed the Centre for ''unleashing excesses'' against farmers and preventing them from marching ahead.

''The Centre used force (against us). Did you see any weapon with us?'' he asked.

''We knew about the arrangements the Centre had made like the deployment of paramilitary forces, drones and other paraphernalia. We knew that we would be unable to proceed. We wanted to show the country and the world that the central ministers and state BJP leaders had earlier said that while they have an objection to farmers marching with tractor-trolleys, the farmers could come to Delhi without these.

''Now, when we were marching on foot, what was the objection and why did they not allow us?'' Pandher asked.

''I had said yesterday that it would be a moral victory of the farmers if a peacefully marching jatha on foot was stopped,'' he said.

Pandher said farmers have submitted a charter of demands to the Ambala authorities, who assured them of forwarding it.

He said farmers will now question the Punjab BJP leaders about the treatment meted out to them by the Centre.

Protesting farmers had earlier attempted to march towards Delhi on February 13 and February 21 but were stopped by security forces deployed at the border points.

Besides MSP, the farmers are also demanding farm debt waiver, pension for farmers and farm labourers, no hike in electricity tariff, withdrawal of police cases (against farmers), and ''justice'' for the victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence.

Reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013 and compensation to the families of farmers who died during the previous agitation in 2020-21 are also part of their demands.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)