Farmers to resume 'Dilli Chalo' today in a 'peaceful manner'
text_fields
Representational.
New Delhi: The protesting farmers will resume their ‘Dilli Chalo’ march around noon today in a peaceful manner. It was only two days ago that police used tear gas against them at the Shambhu border, injuring at least sixteen of them, and they suspended their march then, NDTV reported.
On Friday, as the protesters reached the barricades, security personnel lobbed multiple tear gas shells to disperse them and forced them to retreat. Covering their eyes and mouths, several protesting farmers rushed to cover the tear gas shells with wet jute bags to counter the smoke. Many of them were seen uprooting iron nails and barbed wire installed on the road to deter their march.
Police offensive on the protesters resulted in many getting injured and one of them losing their hearing ability.
The march will be attended by 101 farmers of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha organisations.
Punjab farm leader Sarwan Singh Pandher meanwhile rejected claims that the Centre sent a certain message inviting farmers for talks.
However, companies of security forces have been deployed at Shambu with barricades installed and nails fixed on roads to stop vehicles. Haryana Police asked the media to maintain proper distance from the gathering at the Shambhu border and other places. Journalists were asked to keep outside 1 km from the border.
The farmers’ protests are for various demands, including a legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP), a farmer debt waiver, pension for farmers and no increase in electricity tariff.
Further, they wanted the police cases against protesting farmers to be withdrawn and justice for the victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence. They also wanted the reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act of 2013.
The Bharatiya Kisan Union’s (BKU) national spokesperson, Rakesh Tikait, called for unity among farmers and said that they are being exploited because they are divided.