 "Delhi chalo march, shambhu border")
Farmers' protest updates: As hundreds of farmers embarked on the 'Delhi Chalo' march from the neighbouring states on Tuesday, the police resorted to firing tear gas shells to disperse the agitators at the Punjab-Haryana Shambhu border.
About 200 farm union bodies, under the banner of Samyukut Kisan Morcha, are headed to the national capital to put forth their demands to the Centre on a range of issues. In view of the situation, the Delhi police has made elaborate arrangements to thwart the protest, for which no permission has been granted.
#WATCH | Police fire tear gas to disperse protesting farmers at Punjab-Haryana Shambhu border. pic.twitter.com/LNpKPqdTR4
— ANI (@ANI) February 13, 2024
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Protesting farmers detained at Shambhu border
Videos emerged from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, showing the agitating farmers making their way to Delhi. At the Shambhu border, several farmers were detained by the police as well.
The Delhi-NCR is wrapped in tight security arrangements and heavy traffic regulations, with borders blocked and Section 144 imposed in the national capital as the police attempt to prevent the farmers from entering Delhi.
The pre-planned march came a day after the Centre, represented by Union Ministers Piyush Goyal and Arjun Munda, held a second round of talks with the farm unions in Chandigarh but failed to reach common ground.
Farmers demands include debt waivers, pension
The farmers have put forth various demands, including a legal guarantee to MSP for crops - a focal point of the 2021 agitation. The demands also include debt waivers, guaranteed pensions for farmers, implementation of Swaminathan committee recommendations, withdrawal of cases against the farmers in the 2021 protest and compensation for the families of the farmers who died during that protest.
Barbed wires, concrete blocks, nails and swarms of security personnel guard the Delhi borders in view of the situation. Massive traffic jams were reported in some parts of Delhi due to heightened traffic regulations due to the situation. Some gates at some of the Delhi Metro stations have also been closed for security reasons.
Opposition extends support to farmers
Meanwhile, the Opposition has trained guns on the Centre for "suppressing" the voice of the farmers by making arrangements to prevent their protest from reaching Delhi. Leaders including Rahul Gandhi, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Akhilesh Yadav, Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann, among others, reiterated that the farmers' demands are valid and the Narendra Modi government is using "dictatorial" methods to silence them.
