Farmers' march stopped at Punjab-Haryana border, teargas shells fired

Shambhu: A 'jatha' (group) of 101 farmers resumed its foot march to Delhi Sunday afternoon from the Shambhu protest site on the Punjab-Haryana border, but was soon halted by a multilayered barricading erected by the Haryana security personnel.

Teargas shells were lobbed and water jets were shot through cannons to disperse the protesters after they reached the barricades.

Ambala police had earlier said the farmers' outfits may march to Delhi only after getting permission from the national capital administration.

The group, dubbed as 'marjeevras', (someone willing to die for a cause), was marching for a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price. They were stopped only a few metres away.

One of the Haryana security personnel was seen asking farmers to show permission to march to Delhi.

"First we will identify them to see whether they have any permission. We have got the list (of 101 farmers), but they are not those whose names are mentioned in the list. They are not giving their identities which means they are coming in the shape of a mob," he told reporters at the site.

A farmer said, "They are saying that our names were not on the list. We do not know which list they have. When we asked them whether they would allow us to move ahead after verifying our identities, they told us then we would have to show the permission." As the confrontation escalated, the security forces lobbed tear gas shells.

The gas forced the farmers, many of whom had covered their faces and were wearing protective eyewear, to recede a few metres. Some tried to cover the shells with wet jute bags.

Farmers claimed that one of the protesters was injured in the attack and had to seek hospital care.

Punjab farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said their protest reached 300 days on Sunday.

Farmers under the banner of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha have been camping at Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana since February 13 after their march to Delhi was stopped by security forces.

Farmer leader Tejveer Singh asked why farmers were stopped from moving ahead when they were peacefully going on foot. "What objection does Haryana have?" He said the farmers would not have to march to the capital had the Centre accepted their demands.

"Earlier, the central ministers and BJP leaders raised an objection to farmers going to Delhi with their tractors and trolleys, but now what is their case when are marching on foot," he said.

Haryana Police has written to its Punjab counterpart asking it to ensure media personnel are stopped at a "safe distance" from the protest site for the sake of their safety.

It had earlier asked the farmers not to proceed with the march 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.

On Friday too, farmers had to suspend their march after some of them suffered injuries due to tear gas shells.

Pandher had on Saturday said farmers hadn't heard from the Centre on the matter.

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

The 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 demanding a 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.