 "Farmers begin ‘Delhi Chalo’ march: Here’s what to expect")
Delhi is bracing itself for a second round of traffic jams as protesting farmers plan a “Delhi Chalo” march from the Shambhu border on Friday.
More than 100 farmers will take to the streets to push their demands toward the National Capital.
In order to control the growing numbers of protesters, considerable resources have been used to increase security at the Haryana-Punjab border.
Here’s what to expect.
The ‘Delhi Chalo’ march
Under the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) and Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) banners , a number of unions, including the Bharatiya Kisan Union-Ekta and others from Haryana, are once again coming together to further their demands during the march.
Farmers from Haryana districts like Ambala and Sirsa, as well as Punjab areas like Taran Taran, Amritsar, Ferozepur, Bathinda, Sangrur, and Patiala, are continuing to pour onto the protest site at the Shambhu border.
During the previous ‘Delhi Chalo’ march , farmers from various states, especially Punjab, led the ‘tractor-trolley’ protest to reach the National Capital via Haryana; this time, however, they will march on foot.
Sarwan Singh Pandher, a farmer leader, told reporters at a press conference on the Shambhu border that a group of 101 farmers, known as the “Marjeevda Jatha,” will march on foot from the Shambhu border protest site to Delhi at 1 pm on November 6. He also said that other groups would follow in the coming days.
The farmer leaders had previously said that Baljinder Singh, Surjit Singh Phul, Surinder Sinhgh Chautala, and Satnam Singh Pannu would be leading the first group.
He said that it would be a “moral victory” for the farmers if the government prevented them from marching.
“Their leaders at the Centre and in states have been regularly saying that if the farmers do not bring tractor-trolleys, there should be no objection. So if we go to Delhi on foot, there should be no reason to stop the farmers,” he added.
Also read: Drones, barriers & more: How Delhi-NCR has turned into a fortress to stop farmers’ march
Prohibitory order issued
The Ambala district administration has issued an order under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), restricting any unlawful assembly of five or more persons in the district.
The Deputy Commissioner’s directive states that it is forbidden to participate in any procession by foot, car, or other means until further orders.
“It is apprehended that a large number of protesters are likely to come from Punjab and Haryana and assemble at Shambhu border to move towards Delhi. Hence, appropriate steps need to be taken at the border points and within the district, including issuance of prohibitory orders under Section 163 of BNSS so as not to allow movement of any such person without prior permission,” the order said.
Any individual or group on foot or vehicles which can be used to damage public/private property and/or to confront law enforcement agencies, thereby creating hindrance in maintaining peace and public order, has been prohibited," it added.
The order will not apply to police and other public servants on duty for maintaining law and order, it added.
“There are inputs that the agitators may gherao Parliament or camp permanently on the national highways leading to the national capital territory,” the order said, adding that the agitators have not obtained any permission under Section 69 of the Haryana Police Act.
The administration on Wednesday asked the farmers to reconsider their march and contemplate any action only after obtaining permission from Delhi Police.
However, the Delhi police reported that they have not received any such request.
On Monday, Pandher stated that a group of farmers had met with the Ambala police superintendent and told them about their planned march to Delhi.
He added that they had assured the police that their protest would be peaceful and that no traffic would be blocked.
Heightened security
Senior officers have been deployed to the border to evaluate the security situation after Ambala police issued an alert on Thursday regarding the farmers’ intention to march to Delhi.
Along with multi-layer barricading, central paramilitary troops have also been stationed on the Haryana border side.
Delhi police on Thursday told PTI that they were ready to tackle any situation arising at the Singhu border.
A senior police official said, “We have planned a significant deployment at the Singhu border on Delhi-Chandigarh highway ahead of farmers’ march towards the national capital. We are analysing the situation and if we get any intelligence input or information about the movement of farmers, the decision will be taken accordingly.”
Currently, there is no extra deployment, but we are ready to respond to any scenario, the officer added.
The Singhu border is already staffed by local police in check posts to ensure the implementation of GRAP-4 measures as well as law and order, the officer was quoted as saying.
Notably, earlier, on December 2, heavy traffic disruptions were reported across the National Capital and its neighbouring, Noida. Visuals showed long queues of vehicles in parts of Delhi-NCR, with heavy security deployment and police barricades in place.
Farmers’ demands
The farmers 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.
They have several demands, including seeking a legal guarantee for the minimum support price (MSP) of crops.
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.
Earlier in February, Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and other officials met with farmers’ groups. Still, the Centre’s proposal to procure pulses, maize, and cotton at the Minimum Support Price (MSP) through government agencies for five years was rejected.
Centre’s response
Minister of State for Rural Development Kamlesh Paswan said Thursday that farmers protesting on the Punjab-Haryana border should speak with Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan since dialogue is the only way to address their concerns.
“I would urge them (farmers) that our Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is very accessible, anyone who wants to discuss some issue, there can be no better place for discussion,” he said.
Protests that disturb other people will not help, Paswan said, adding that the farmers’ issues can only be resolved through talks.”
With inputs from agencies
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