Ahead of farmers’ ‘Delhi Chalo’ march, Haryana police asks them not to join protests

Police here asked farmers not to take part in a procession planned for Delhi next week without permission and warned them of strict action if public property is damaged.

The warning has been issued in a notification to farmer organizations preparing to participate in the ‘Delhi Chalo’ agitation on February 13 to press for demands, including legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) and implementation of Swaminathan Committee recommendations.

Ambala SP Jashandeep Singh Randhawa said on Thursday that no farmer organization has sought any permission for the protest so far. The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (apolitical) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha have announced that farmers will march to Delhi on February 13 to force the Center to accept their demands.

More than 200 farmer unions from across the country will participate in the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march. Randhawa further said that if anyone is found participating in the protests without permission, legal action will be taken against them. Randhawa said that if the agitators damage public property, strict action will be taken against them under the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.

He said losses to government property would also be compensated by seizing protesters’ properties and seizing bank accounts. Police asked farmers not to rent out or hand over their vehicles to any farmer, failing which the vehicles would be impounded and their registration deregistered.

Police have stockpiled concrete blocks, barbed wire, sandbags, barricades and other items at the Shambhu border in Ambala to stop protesters from marching towards Delhi. The farmers plan to travel to Delhi from Ambala-Shambhu border, Khanauri-Jind and Dabwali border.

Senior Ambala police officials took stock of the arrangements for intercepting farmers at the Shambhu toll plaza near the Haryana-Punjab border. Besides legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP), farmers also demand implementation of Swaminathan Committee recommendations, pension for farmers and farm workers, farm debt waiver, withdrawal of police cases and support for victims of Lakhimpur Kheri violence Deliver “justice”.

In 2020, a large number of farmers from areas near Punjab and Ambala gathered at the Shambhu border, broke through police roadblocks and marched towards Delhi. Farmers, mainly from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, have staged year-long protests at Delhi’s border points – Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur – against the now repealed three farm laws .

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from associated news agency – PTI)