More Punjab farmers enter Haryana for `Delhi Chalo’ protest

Some youths threw metal barricades into the Ghaggar river from the bridge where they were stopped, repeating what an earlier group of farmers had done on Thursday

Chandigarh: More Punjab farmers forced their way across the state’s border with Haryana on Friday, some of them facing water cannons and teargas as they hoped to join thousands who had already reached Delhi to protest against the Centre’s farm laws.

As on Thursday, the Haryana Police initially tried to stop them from entering the state from the Shambhu border in Ambala district. They lobbed teargas shells and deployed water cannons as protesters tried to push past barriers.

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Some youths threw metal barricades into the Ghaggar river from the bridge where they were stopped, repeating what an earlier group of farmers had done on Thursday. In the evening, the Haryana Police removed the barricades, allowing the farmers to pass through on their tractor-trolleys and continue their “Delhi Chalo” march.

Farmers linked to the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta-Ugrahan) also broke through police barricades at Khanauri and Dabwali border points between Punjab and Haryana. Their union leaders had earlier said they will stay put at Khanauri and Dabwali, holding their protest there. But the organisation changed its stand under pressure from supporters.

BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan) general secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokrikalan claimed that over 50,000 farmers were heading towards Delhi from Khanauri itself. Another leader made a similar claim about farmers from Dabwali. Farmers under the banner of the Kisan Mazdoor sangharsh Committee (SMSC)also began a march from Amritsar on Friday.

As the new groups of Punjab farmers took the national highway through Haryana to Delhi, thousands had already reached the capital. After confrontations at Delhi’s borders, during which they faced teargas and water cannons, the earlier groups were allowed to enter the city and continue their protest at Burari ground.

But till late evening, the farmers were refusing to accept the offer, demanding that they should be allowed to hold their protest near Jantar Mantar or the Ramlila grounds in the city. A large number of farmers had camped Thursday night in and around Panipat, before resuming their march Friday morning towards Delhi’s border.

BKU leaders from Punjab and Haryana, including Balbir Singh Rajewal and Gurnam Singh Charuni, said the farmers’ stir has now become a “people’s movement”, drawing support from various sections of society.

Congress leaders Randeep Singh Surjewala and Pawan Khera met Charuni and other farm leaders in Panipat in the morning, and extended their support to them. Ahead of the protest, Haryana had announced sealing of its borders with Punjab to prevent farmers from entering the state on their way to Delhi.

Punjab’s farmers are protesting against the three new laws that deregulate sale of farm produce. They say this will dismantle the minimum support price (system).