Chandigarh, Dec 6 (IANS) Tens of thousands of protesting farmers, mainly from Punjab, gathered at two interstate borders of Haryana in support of ‘Delhi Chalo’ protest march by a delegation of 101 farmers that will start around 1 p.m. on Friday, for their long-pending demands including legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP) for crops and loan waiver.
The announcement to start the march towards the national capital came after two attempts by farmer groups under the banner of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) to reach Delhi in February were stopped by security forces. Farmers have been sitting at the borders of Shambhu and Khanauri since February 13.
“An indefinite hunger strike at the Khanauri border has entered its eleventh day (on December 6). At 1 p.m., a delegation of 101 farmers will move peacefully towards Delhi on foot from Shambhu border,” farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher told press.
The last round of talks between farmer leaders and the Central government failed to elicit results as the protesters were adamant on their demands, including reaching the national capital on foot instead of tractor-trailers.
Police of both states have been deployed in strength and sealed borders to prevent the forceful entry of the farmers to Haryana. However, there was no report of any violence or the use of force so far to disperse the protesters.
Superintendent of Police Surender Singh Bhoria, who is posted in Haryana’s Ambala, told the media, “All the arrangements have been made to maintain the law and order. I request all the farmers to maintain peace. They can go to Delhi after fulfilling the requisite procedures.”
The Ambala district magistrate has also prohibited any procession on foot, vehicles or through any other mode. Also, there is a ban on gatherings of five or more unauthorised people in Ambala district.
Another farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal has been on a fast-unto-death at the Khanauri border in support of farmers’ demands. Hours before beginning his fast on November 26, he was forcibly removed from the border and taken to a hospital in Ludhiana. Later, on the pursuance of the farmers he was discharged.
Kisan Mazdoor Morcha leader Pandher said that it has been almost 10 months, and not a single one of their demands has been fulfilled by the government at the Centre.
He said that the first “jatha” (delegation) of farmers towards Delhi would be led by Satnam Singh Pannu, Surinder Singh Chautala, Surjit Singh Phul, and Baljinder Singh.
The farmer leaders warned that they have come prepared for a long haul. Many of them brought along vegetables, sacks of flour and lentils and cooking oil on their tractor-trailers.
The protesting farmers, comprising men and women — both young and old — and school and college students riding tractor-trailers, cars and motorcycles, have been assembling on the borders of Haryana.
The assembled farmers have pitched their tents and parked their vehicles, largely tractor-trailers, on roads leading to interstate borders. Even they set up makeshift kitchens to serve food to the protestors.
“We are carrying the ration that lasts up to two-three months,” said Gurdev Singh, a farmer from Moga town.
Both Punjab and Haryana Police have issued a travel advisory, asking commuters to avoid certain stretches along Shambhu and Khanauri borders in the wake of the protests.
–IANS
vg/kvd
Disclaimer
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by BhaskarLive.in and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.
Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of BhaskarLive.in We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, BhaskarLive.in takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.
For any legal details or query please visit original source link given with news or click on Go to Source.
Our translation service aims to offer the most accurate translation possible and we rarely experience any issues with news post. However, as the translation is carried out by third part tool there is a possibility for error to cause the occasional inaccuracy. We therefore require you to accept this disclaimer before confirming any translation news with us.
If you are not willing to accept this disclaimer then we recommend reading news post in its original language.
