Haryana Police issued a directive on Tuesday to their counterparts in Punjab, urging them to confiscate bulldozers purportedly brought by protesting farmers from Punjab as they gear up to recommence their 'Delhi Chalo' movement from the interstate border. Despite enduring four rounds of unsuccessful negotiations with the Centre regarding a legal assurance on the minimum support price (MSP) for crops, these farmers were slated to restart their journey on Wednesday from two junctures along the Punjab-Haryana boundary.
Despite being over 200 kilometers away from the national capital, Delhi Police conducted exercises on Tuesday to safeguard their heavily fortified entry points.
Since February 13, when they embarked on their journey to Delhi, thousands of farmers have been stationed at the Shambhu and Khanauri points on Punjab's border with Haryana after encountering resistance from security personnel at the Haryana border.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court, in an oral decree on Tuesday, urged the Punjab government to prohibit large gatherings of farmers, citing provisions in the Motor Vehicles Act that restrict the operation of tractor-trolleys on highways.
In response to the escalating situation, Haryana's Director General of Police, Shatrujeet Kapoor, urgently communicated with his Punjab counterpart, Gaurav Yadav, urging the Punjab Police to confiscate all bulldozers and earthmoving equipment allegedly procured by the protesting farmers to sabotage barricades at the border points.
Kapoor underscored the potential threat posed by such equipment to security forces and cautioned against providing support to the protesters, deeming it a criminal offense. Meanwhile, amidst the deadlock in negotiations, the protest leaders have rebuffed the government's proposition to purchase five crops at MSP rates for five years through central agencies. Jagjit Singh Dallewal, a leader of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha, articulated that the proposal did not align with the farmers' interests.
In anticipation of the resumption of the 'Delhi Chalo' march, Sarwan Singh Pandher, leader of the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, advocated for a parliamentary session to enact legislation ensuring MSP for crops.
Pandher delineated the farmers' three primary demands and appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to announce a waiver on farm loans, with the implementation details to be addressed subsequently. As tensions mount, Delhi Police intensified preparations to thwart the entry of protesters into the capital, augmenting security measures at border points and conducting mock drills. With the situation on edge, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha hailed the decision of farmer leaders to dismiss the government's MSP proposal, asserting that it would foster greater unity among farmers nationwide and urged farmer groups to participate in mass protests in the constituencies of BJP-NDA MPs.
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