‘Delhi Chalo’ agitation: Three Union ministers hold talks with farmer leaders, ‘Bharat Bandh’ tomorrow | Highlights

As the ‘Delhi Chalo’ riots entered its third day, with protesters and security personnel facing off at two locations on the Punjab-Haryana border on Thursday night, three Union ministers met protesting farmer unions in Chandigarh leader.

This is the third round of dialogue between farmer leaders and the central government. The previous two rounds of dialogue on February 8 and 12 still had no results. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann also attended the meeting held at Mahatma Gandhi National Institute of Public Administration, Sector 26, Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Arjun Munda, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai represented the central government.

On February 13, farmers raised various demands, including a law to guarantee minimum support price (MSP) for crops.

Police and paramilitary personnel closely monitor activities at the capital’s borders.

Strict vigil, heavy personnel deployment and multi-layered roadblocks will continue as protesting farmers still gather at the Shambhu border between Punjab and Haryana near Ambala, an official said.

the latest update

• The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), along with central trade unions, has called for a Gramin Bharat Bandh (nationwide strike) on February 16 to press their demands to the Center amid the ongoing farmers’ protest at Delhi borders.
• The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) has urged all like-minded farmer organizations to unite and participate in the Bharat bandh. The day-long protest will begin at 6 a.m. and end at 4 p.m. Farmers will participate in Chakka Jam on major roads across the country from 12 noon to 4 pm.
• Three union ministers held the third round of talks with leaders of protesting farmer unions in Chandigarh.
• Delhi Police has ordered more than 30,000 tear gas shells from the Border Security Force (BSF) tear gas unit, officials said.
• Delhi Police conducted drills and mock drills with paramilitary personnel, requiring them to walk towards roadblocks at the Singhu and Tikri borders in riot gear. They were ordered by their superiors to act as if they were controlling a mob.
• However, the board exams were held without any trouble and there were no reports of delays in the conduct of exams from border areas of Delhi. Police and paramilitary officials arranged vehicles to help students reach the exam center near the Tikri border.
• A senior police officer said the police are on high alert after the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) issued a ‘Bharat Bandh’ call in support of the protesting farmers. Security personnel remain deployed at the third border point – Ghazipur.
• In the evening, 50 farmers from Meerut arrived by car. They were detained by the Uttar Pradesh police for wanting to stage a sit-in at the Ghazipur border.
• Farmers squatted on railway tracks in many parts of Punjab as Haryana police took action against ‘Delhi Chalo’ protesters, leading to the diversion of some trains on the Delhi-Amritsar line. The farmers also held rallies at several toll plazas and forced the authorities not to collect tolls from commuters.
• The Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) and BKU Dakunda (Dhaner) have called for four-hour “rail roko” protests at several places in Punjab.
• The Haryana government on Thursday extended the ban on mobile internet and bulk SMS services in seven districts for two days till February 17 in view of the farmers’ ‘Delhi Chalo’ agitation. The government said in the order that these districts are Ambala, Kurukshetra, Khaital, Jind, Hisar, Fatehabad and Sirsa.(with PTI input)