New Delhi: Farmers protesting against the Centre’s policies on Friday suspended their foot march to Delhi for the day after several of them were injured in clashes with security forces. According to Punjab farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher, a few farmers were injured due to teargas shelling by Haryana security personnel. “We have called back the ‘jatha’ for today in view of the injuries suffered by a few farmers,” Pandher said.
The farmer leader claimed that five to six protesting farmers were injured during the teargas shelling by Haryana police. He added that the two farmer bodies—Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha—will decide on the next course of action after a meeting later.
The ‘jatha’ of 101 farmers began its march from the Shambhu border to Delhi, part of their ongoing ‘Delhi Chalo’ movement. However, their progress was blocked a few meters away by multilayered barricades. As the farmers attempted to push forward, Haryana police used teargas to disperse the protesters, resulting in several injuries. The injured farmers have since been shifted to a hospital for treatment.
Haryana police repeatedly warned the farmers not to proceed further, citing the prohibitory order under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). The Ambala district administration had banned any unlawful assembly of five or more persons, and farmers’ attempts to move forward were blocked.
The farmers are demanding a legal guarantee for the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for their crops, along with other key issues like debt waiver, pension for farmers and farm laborers, no increase in electricity tariffs, and justice for victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence. Additionally, they are seeking the reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013, and compensation for families of farmers who died during previous agitations in 2020-21.
During the protest, a few farmers holding union flags managed to push down an iron mesh barricade placed by security personnel on the bridge over the Ghaggar River. A large number of security forces have been deployed on the Haryana side of the border to control the situation.
In response, the Ambala Deputy Commissioner issued a directive banning any foot processions, vehicle rallies, or other modes of protest until further notice. Additionally, all government and private schools in the district were ordered to close.
The farmers, who have been camped at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points, had initially planned to march to Delhi peacefully, carrying essential supplies. Sarwan Singh Pandher, a key farmer leader, had met with Ambala’s superintendent of police earlier this week to inform him of the planned march and assured the authorities that the protest would be non-violent and would not disrupt traffic. However, the Delhi Police has stated that no formal request has been received from the farmers to march to the capital.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh expressed his party’s support for the protesting farmers. He reiterated that the farmers’ demands for a legal guarantee on MSP and fixing it at 1.5 times the comprehensive cost of cultivation, as per the recommendations of the MS Swaminathan Commission, remain unmet. Ramesh also emphasized the need for restructuring the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana and urged for an independent agency to oversee agricultural trade policies.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Jairam Ramesh wrote, “Farmers are marching to Parliament today. Their protest has received huge backing after support from the Vice President and the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.” He called the government’s stance on MSP a “betrayal,” pointing to the earlier agreement on MSP during the 2020-21 farmers’ protests, which resulted in the deaths of over 700 farmers.
Ramesh also compared the waiver of loans for private companies with the demand for similar relief for farmers, suggesting that just as the banks waived off Rs 16 lakh crore of loans for corporate defaults, farmers too should receive similar debt relief.
As the standoff between the farmers and authorities continues, both sides remain firm in their positions, with farmers promising to escalate their protests if their demands are not met, and the government maintaining its restrictions.