Chandigarh, November 25
Hundreds of Punjab farmers began gathering at the interstate borders along Haryana on Wednesday morning, which has restricted their movement to the national capital, Delhi, for their ‘Delhi Chalo’ protest against the three central agricultural laws.
As a preventive measure, neighboring Haryana, ruled by the BJP, imposed Section 144 of the CrPC to prevent the gathering of protesters.
In addition, the police had taken almost 100 peasant leaders from the state to “preventive custody.”
According to police estimates, around 2 million Punjab farmers will leave for Delhi as part of their ‘Delhi Chalo’ agitation starting on November 26.
Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) Farmers Body Chairman Balbir Singh Rajewal said Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar sealed the interstate borders for Punjab farmers to prove that “Punjab is not part of India” .
“We will peacefully block the routes to Himachal and Jammu and Kashmir. We will start dharna on the roads,” he tweeted.
Rajewal questioned Khattar for refusing to give way for farmers to go to the national capital.
Farmers affiliated with 33 organizations are part of the United Farmers Front, a body of more than 470 farmers’ unions across India that will take part in the indefinite protest in the national capital starting on November 26.
The protesting farmers threatened to block all roads to Delhi if they were denied permission to travel to Delhi.
The Delhi police asked farmers not to enter Delhi because they did not have permission to protest in the city.
Haryana police also issued a travel advisory, asking travelers to avoid certain national highways along the state border with Punjab and Delhi for three days, starting Wednesday, in the wake of the protest.
Roads have been blocked in various places along the state border under Chief Minister Khattar’s directive to ensure “law and order,” police said.
A spokesman for the state police told IANS that the civil and police administration have made elaborate arrangements.
The main objective of these arrangements is to maintain adequate law and order to prevent any type of violence, facilitate the operation of traffic and public transport systems, and guarantee public peace and order.
The spokesman said that large numbers of protesters are likely to enter Haryana from Punjab through various border entry points to continue their journey to Delhi.
The main focus points of the protesters originating within Haryana will be the four main national highways leading to Delhi, i.e Ambala to Delhi, Hisar to Delhi, Rewari to Delhi and Palwal to Delhi.
The protest organizations for the congregation have made a specific call on the border of Shambhu near the city of Ambala, Mundhal Chowk in the district of Bhiwani, Anaj Mandi in the city of Gharaunda in the district of Karnal, the border of Tikri in the city of Bahadurgarh in the Jhajjar district and the Rajiv Gandhi Educational City in Rai in the Sonipat district.
The spokesperson said that to ensure proper provision of law and order, police are likely to place traffic diversion or road blocks on November 25, 26 and 27.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday welcomed the Center’s decision to carry out talks with various farmers’ organizations on the issue of agricultural laws in Delhi on December 3.
He said the upcoming talks will pave the way for an early resolution of farmers’ concerns about core farm laws.
The president of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU-Ekta Dakonda), Buta Singh Burjgill, said that the ‘langar’ (free food service) will continue until the central government withdraws the laws.
“It will be a historic protest in Delhi in the midst of the presence of two lakh farmers. We will not back down half an inch from our protest.” Farmers protesting the laws have expressed fear that these laws would pave the way for the dismantling of the minimum support price system, leaving them at the ‘mercy’ of large corporate entities.
IANS
