As farmers in large numbers marched towards the national capital on February 13, the police fired tear gas on the protestors at the Punjab-Haryana Shambhu Border.
The police have deployed concrete slabs, iron nails, barricades, barbed wires, and police and paramilitary personnel at Kurukshetra in Haryana in view of the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march by the farmers.
“11 companies deployed here. We are ensuring that there is no law and order situation here and citizens do not face any trouble in commuting. As of now, there is no march towards the Tikri border (with Delhi), but the situation is dynamic and we are monitoring it using various sources,” SP Jhajjar Arpit Jain said
To ensure law and order, Delhi police have already enforced Section 144, restricting entry of tractor trolleys and large assemblies. DCP Dwarka Ankit Singh said, “Sec 144 CrPC is imposed in the city, tractor trolleys are not allowed in the city. Social media monitoring has also been done. Drone is an effective tool for security monitoring, we will use it.”
Meanwhile, the Delhi-Noida-Delhi (DND) road witnessed heavy vehicular traffic from Noida towards Delhi following multi-layered barricading at the borders to restrict the protesting farmers from entering the national capital.
Earlier in the day, Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee General Secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher said that all efforts were made in the meeting to find a solution to avoid a confrontation with the Government, adding that they anticipated a positive result.
Union Minister Arjun Munda, in response to the farmers’ ‘Delhi Chalo’ march, emphasised the necessity of time and deliberation to address the concerns raised by the farming community.
“We care about the interests of the farmers. It is not our concern if someone is doing politics over this issue. We have always been ready for talks and discussions and we are ready to do everything possible to find a solution to this issue.”
Arjun Munda is among the team of ministers holding talks with the farmer leaders that also includes Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal, MoS Nityanand Rai and Punjab Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal.
The farmers have put forth 12 demands before the Union Government for which they’re marching to Delhi. The protest this time has been called by Sanyukt Kisan Morcha and Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee led by farmer union leaders Jagjeet Singh Dallewal and Sarwan Singh Pandher.
According to the protesting farmers, the centre promised them better crop prices, after which they ended the 2021 protest. They are demanding to enact a law guaranteeing a minimum support price (MSP) for all crops, as recommended by the Swaminathan Commission report. They are also demanding a complete debt waiver and a scheme to provide pensions to farmers and farm labourers.
The farmers have also urged scrapping the Electricity Amendment Bill 2020 and are demanding the reintroduction of the Land Acquisition Act of 2013, ensuring consent from farmers and compensation at four times the collector rate.
Further, they are demanding to punish those involved in the Lakhimpur Kheri killings.
An appeal to provide 200 days of employment per year and a daily wage of Rs 700 under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 (MGNREGA) linking it with farming has also been made by the farmers.
Also, a demand to provide compensation to the families of farmers who died during the protests in 2021 and a job for any family member has been put in place.
(with inputs from ANI)
