Prohibitory orders in northeast Delhi ahead of farmers' protest march

A large number of farmers from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab are expected to march towards the national capital on Tuesday under their Delhi Chalo March organised by around 200 farmer unions.

New Delhi: The Delhi Police on Monday invoked prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) in the entire city with immediate effect ahead of farmers’ unions and associations ‘Delhi Chalo’ protest.

Delhi Police chief Sanjay Arora issued an order in this regard and said it shall remain in force for 30 days unless withdrawn earlier.

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha, the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha and several other farmers unions and associations have announced a ‘Delhi Chalo’ march on February 13, to hold a protest outside the Parliament House, to press their demands.

Withdrawal of cases

According to a PTI report quoting sources, the delegation of the Centre is learnt to have agreed to withdraw the cases against the farmers registered during the 2020-21 agitation against the now-repealed farm laws.

The Union ministers are also believed to have agreed to give compensation to any left out families of farmers who died during the previous agitation. The sources further said the central ministers were also discussing various other demands of the farmers during the meeting.

However, sources said the farmer leaders were adamant on a legal guarantee to minimum support price for crops, which is one of their key demands.

The farmers are also demanding implementation of the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations, pensions for farmers and farm labourers, debt waiver, withdrawal of police cases and justice for victims of the Lakhimpur Kheri violence, reinstate the Land Acquisition Act 2013, withdraw from WTO, compensation for families of farmers died during the previous agitation, among others.

Sources also said during the last meeting, the ministers told farmer leaders that the Centre was ready with the solution but that the farmer organisations could not suggest any leaders for the committee.

Meanwhile, the Ambala administration sealed the Delhi-Chandigarh highway with jersey barriers placed at Sadoupur on Ambala-Mohali border. 

Haryana Police have issued traffic advisory with diversion at Karnal and Kurukshetra. The border had been partially closed since Saturday.

The highways were sealed in advance given intelligence inputs that farmers from Punjab might move towards Delhi a day before February 13.

Yamunanagar administration has imposed Section 144 in the district. By Sunday, 15 of 22 districts had imposed similar prohibitory orders in Haryana.

(With PTI inputs)