SAD chief, Harsimrat detained for marching against farm laws
New Delhi: Amid heavy security arrangements, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) led by Sukhbir Singh Badal and former Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Friday started their protest march to Parliament from the Rakabganj Gurudwara here to mark one year of their agitation against the Centre's three farm laws.
But the Delhi Police were quick to detain both senior leaders of the party foiling the march's progress to the Parliament building. Even as the police barricaded all borders of the Capital in preparation for the "Black Day" protest march, the DMRC shut down two metro stations near the borders and Section 144 was imposed across the New Delhi district.
The SAD, which walked out of the ruling coalition at the Centre last year over the farm laws, is observing September 17 as a Black Day.
"The protest march today not only symbolises the farmers' dissent but will also be remembered as a historic event that struck at the root of tyranny. Let's unite to mark this day as the beginning of a renewed revolt to bring justice for farmers," the SAD president tweeted.
Earlier, the official account of the SAD had posted on Twitter, "All Delhi borders have been sealed and Punjab vehicles are being stopped. While all others pass, Punjabis are being told that our entry has been restricted. Our peaceful voices have seemingly scared the powers that be."
Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Deepak Yadav said SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal, former Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal along with 15 other party leaders have been detained at Parliament Street police station.
According to the police, the leaders were detained for taking out the protest march in violation of COVID-19 guidelines. They were subsequently released.
Former Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, who resigned from the government last year over the farm laws, said in a tweet that the massive participation in the protest march shows the public anger against the Centre and its policies.
"Farmers have been protesting at the Delhi border for a year, but the Centre is keen on quashing them. We are proud to have quit the NDA. Akali Dal will continue to resist despotism," she added.
Alleging that the Delhi Police tried to stop their protest march, SAD spokesperson Daljit Singh Cheema said, "It is an undeclared emergency in New Delhi."
A section of farmers, mainly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, has been protesting at Delhi border points against the Centre's three farm laws for over nine months now.
The protesting farmers have been demanding the repeal of the laws which they feel will do away with the MSP system, leaving them at the mercy of big corporations.
The government has insisted that these laws have given farmers a new opportunity to sell their produce and rejected claims that they are aimed at doing away with the minimum support price regime and farm mandis.
Even though mainstream media attention has shifted from the protesting farmers who continue to sit-in at the city's gates, this agrarian agitation is on its way to becoming the longest-running sit-in protest in independent India as it looks to complete one year on November 26 this year.
