Ahead of ‘Delhi Chalo’ march, Haryana, Delhi seal borders, impose restrictions

CHANDIGARH/NEW DELHI: Ahead of the farmers’ proposed ‘Delhi Chalo’ march on February 13, the Haryana government has sealed the state’s border with Punjab in Ambala district and suspended mobile internet and bulk SMS services in seven districts. Additionally, officials reported that prohibitory orders under Section 144, which bans large gatherings, have been imposed in the northeast district of Delhi.

Besides imposing prohibitory orders, authorities have put up concrete blocks, road spike barriers and barbed wires to prevent the entry of vehicles and deploying thousands of police personnel.

Meanwhile, Opposition parties and farmer groups criticised the decision to block borders and prevent protesters from entering the national capital on Sunday. Authorities, however, justified the imposition of restrictions “to maintain law and order” and cited the 2020-21 agitation against the now-repealed three farm laws that had stretched to over a year.

Among their demands, the farmers are advocating for enactment of a law to guarantee a minimum support price (MSP), the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations, pensions for farmers and agricultural workers, farm loan forgiveness, withdrawal of police charges, and “justice” for the victims of the Lakhimpur Kheri violence.

At Shambhu near Ambala district, Haryana authorities have placed concrete blocks, sandbags, barbed wire and anti-riot vehicles on the road to foil the farmers’ proposed march to the national capital on February 13.

Extraordinary steps were taken to seal the borders by installing iron sheets along the two sides of the road on the Ghaggar flyover to prevent protesters from throwing police barricades off it. Water cannons and Vajra vehicles have been stationed and the Ghaggar river bed has been dug up so that tractors cannot be plied.

Police have also made elaborate arrangements at Haryna’s borders with Punjab in Jind and Fatehabad districts to stop the march. In Fatehabad, concrete blocks and spike strips have been placed on a road in the Jakhal area.

At the Tohana border in the district, authorities have placed sand-laden containers and concrete barricades and cemented three layers of nails on the road. In Jind, two roads near the Haryana-Punjab border have been shut for vehicular movement and restrictions imposed on two more roads, officials said on Sunday.

Apprehending the disturbance of peace because of the proposed march, the Haryana government has suspended mobile internet services and bulk SMS in seven districts — Ambala, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Jind, Hisar, Fatehabad and Sirsa — from February 11 to 13.

Meanwhile, the Centre has invited farmers’ organisations to hold another meeting to discuss their demands on February 12. The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor

Morcha had announced the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march by more than 200 farmers’ unions on...

...February 13 to press the Centre into accepting several demands, including the enactment of a law to guarantee a MSP for crops.

The Haryana Police has issued a traffic advisory asking commuters to take alternative routes given the restrictions imposed.

In the traffic advisory, police asked commuters going from Chandigarh to Delhi to take alternative routes via Derabassi, Barwala/Ramgarh, Saha, Shahbad, Kurukshetra, or through Panchkula, NH-344 Yamunanagar Indri/Pipli, Karnal.

Similarly, passengers travelling from Delhi to Chandigarh have been asked to reach their destination via Karnal, Indri/Pipli, Yamunanagar, Panchkula, or Kurukshetra, Shahbad, Saha, Barwala, Ramgarh, according to police.

The farmers have planned to head to Delhi from the Ambala-Shambhu border, Khanauri-Jind and the Dabwali border.

Ambala and Kaithal districts have imposed section 144 of the CrPC, prohibiting the assembly of five or more people.

Police have also been holding meetings with village panchayat heads and khap panchayats, asking them not to participate in the march. In several villages, police were reportedly making announcements, warning farmers of seizure of their tractors and cancellation of passports if they participated in the march.

SKM (Non-Political) leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal slammed the Haryana government for making arrangements to stop farmers from going towards Delhi.

“We are ready for talks and will never run away from dialogue,” he said.

On one hand, talks are going on with the Centre and on the other hand, the state government is creating terror, Dallewal said, adding, “What the Khattar government is doing is unfortunate and condemnable.”

He said the government had “promised” a legal guarantee on minimum support price during the stir against the farm laws which were later repealed by the Centre. The farmer leader said the government had “promised” the withdrawal of cases registered against farmers.

Farmers were forced to move towards Delhi as their demands were not accepted by the Centre. “Why is the government scared? Huge barricading is being done. Is this democracy,” Dallewal asked.

“If the situation turns bad, it will be the responsibility of the Khattar government,” he said in a video message.

The Congress, meanwhile, also attacked the central government with Rahul Gandhi urging people to uproot those from Delhi “who put nails in the path of farmers”.

Party leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra shared a video of spike barriers on a road and said, “Is laying nails-thorns in the path of farmers ‘amritkaal’ or ‘anyaykaal’?”

Punjab Chief Minister and AAP leader Bhagwant Mann likened the roads to Delhi and Haryana to the India-Pakistan border.

“I urge the Centre to hold talks with farmers and accept their genuine demands... There are as many wires put up on the roads (Punjab-Haryana borders) to go to Delhi as there are at the border with Pakistan,” said Mann.

In 2020, a large number of farmers from Punjab and nearby areas of Ambala gathered at the Shambhu border and broke police barriers to march towards Delhi. The farmers, mainly from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, held a year-long protest on Delhi’s border points — Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur — against the three farm laws which were repealed later.

In the national Capital also, prohibitory orders under Section 144, which bars large gatherings, were imposed in the northeast district of Delhi on Sunday in view of farmers’ ‘Delhi Chalo March’ on February 13, officials said.

“We have imposed Section 144 of the CrPC (prohibitory orders). Information has been received that some farmer organisations have given a call to their supporters to gather/march to Delhi on February 13 for their demands of law on MSP. No one will be allowed to breach law and order situation,” according to an order issued by the Deputy Commissioner of Police (northeast) Joy Tirkey.

The order said the farmers are likely to sit at Delhi borders till their demands are met.

“Keeping in view the kind of behaviour and adamant approach farmers showed during protests in the past, there is a possibility of mobilisation/activities of farmers/supporters from their respective districts to Delhi along with Tractor/Trolleys/Arms. Farmers will also come from Haryana, Punjab, UP, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, MP and other possible area,” it said.

A precautionary order of section 144 is required to be issued to save life and property in the area, avoid any untoward incident and maintain law and order, the communication said.

Police have prohibited the entering of tractors, trolleys, buses, trucks, commercial vehicles, personal vehicles, or horses etc, carrying protestors in Delhi from Uttar Pradesh.

Bracing for the agitation, police are fortifying Delhi’s border with Uttar Pradesh and Haryana with barricades and by deploying more than 5,000 security personnel.

On Thursday, farmers from Uttar Pradesh went on a sit-in demonstration on the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway as police blocked their protest march to Delhi, resulting in massive traffic chaos.with agency inputs