Chandigarh: Around hundreds of farmers from Punjab began gathering on Wednesday morning on the interstate borders along Haryana that has limited their movement towards national capital Delhi for their ‘Delhi Chalo’ protest opposing the three central farm laws.
Neighbouring BJP-ruled Haryana has enforced Section 144 of the CrPC to health gathering of protesters, as a preventive measure.
Furthermore, the police had taken almost 100 farmer leaders from the state into “preventive custody”.
According to the police assessments, about 2,00,000 farmers from Punjab are said to leave for Delhi as a part of their ‘Delhi Chalo’ protest from November 26.
Farmer body Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) President Balbir Singh Rajewal stated Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has sealed the interstate borders for Punjab farmers to demonstrate that “Punjab is not part of India”.
He tweeted: “We will peacefully block the routes to Himachal and Jammu and Kashmir. Will start dharna on the roads.”
Khattar was questioned by Rajewal for declining to give passage to the farmers to go to the national capital.
The farmers affiliated to thirty-three associations are part of the United Farmers Front, an all-India body of more than 470 farmer unions that will partake in the protest in the national capital from November 26.
The protesting farmers have said that they will block all streets to Delhi if they were denied permission to go towards Delhi.
The farmers were requested not to enter Delhi by the police as they don’t have the approval to protest in the city.
The Haryana Police also has given a travel advisory, requesting commuters to avoid specific national highways along the state border with Punjab and Delhi for three days, beginning Wednesday, in the wake of the protest.
Road barricades have been put at many spots along the state border according to Chief Minister Khattar’s directive to guarantee “law and order”, the police stated.
A state police representative disclosed to IANS that elaborate arrangements have been created by the civil and police administration.
The primary objective of these arrangements is to keep up proper law and order to prevent any sort of violence, facilitate the operation of traffic and public transport systems and to guarantee public peace and order.
The representative stated a large number of protesters are probably going to enter Haryana from Punjab by different border entry points for their forward journey towards Delhi.
The primary focus points of the protestors originating from inside Haryana will be the four significant national highways driving towards Delhi, i.e., Ambala to Delhi, Hisar to Delhi, Palwal to Delhi and Rewari to Delhi.
A particular call has been provided by protesting associations for the congregation at Shambhu border close to Ambala city, Mundhal Chowk in Bhiwani area, Tikri fringe in Bahadurgarh town in Jhajjar region, Anaj Mandi in Gharaunda town in Karnal locale and the Rajiv Gandhi Education City in Rai in Sonipat region.
The representative said that to guarantee appropriate law and order arrangement, it is possible that the traffic redirection or roadblocks might be set up by the police on November 25, 26 and 27.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday invited the Centre’s choice to take forward the discussions with different rancher association on the homestead laws issue in Delhi on December 3.
He said the upcoming discussions would make way for early redressal of the worries of the farmers on the Central agricultural laws.
Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU-Ekta Dakonda) President Buta Singh Burjgill stated the ‘langar’ (free meal service) will go on until the Central government withdraws the laws.
“It will be a historic protest in Delhi amid the presence of two lakh farmers. We won’t back down from our protest even half an inch.
Famers protesting against the laws have communicated apprehension that these laws would make way for the dismantling of the minimum support price system, leaving them ‘mercy’ of large corporate entities.
with IANSinputs
