The “Delhi Chalo” protest march by farmers from Punjab has been suspended for two days after a protester was killed and about 12 police personnel were injured in clashes at Khanauri, one of the two protest sites on the Punjab-Haryana border. “We will hold discussions regarding the incident that occurred in Khanauri. Our march towards Delhi will be on hold for two days. We will provide further clarification on our future actions later,” farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher, head of the Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, stated at a press conference.
The farmers’ announcement comes after the Centre appealed to them for another round of discussions. This marks the second time the farmers’ march has been put on hold. Previously, it was halted before the fourth round of talks between the farmers and the Central Government.
Earlier, a 21-year-old farmer was killed, and several others were injured following a clash between security personnel and protesting farmers at Khanauri on the Punjab-Haryana border. A farmers’ leader said the victim has been identified as Shubh Karan Singh, a resident of Baloke village in Punjab’s Bathinda district. This incident marks the first casualty of the second round of farmers’ protests, known as the “Delhi Chalo March”, which began on February 13.
The Haryana Police has alleged that the farmer protesters surrounded the police from all sides by pouring chili powder in the stubble, and attacked the policemen using sticks, maces, and stone pelting at the Khanauri border. Around 12 policemen were seriously injured. The police appealed to the protesters for peace. Meanwhile, it has denied that any farmer has died yet in the clash on the Shambhu border, contrary to claims made on various platforms, as the farmers protesting against the Centre intensify their defense against the Haryana Police.
“This is just a rumour. Two policemen and one protester received injuries on the Data Singh-Khanauri border and are under treatment,” the Haryana Police posted on X. Farmer leader Baldev Singh Sirsa identified the victim as Shubh Karan Singh (21), who died at Khanauri on the Sangrur-Jind border. Singh was a resident of Baloke village in Punjab’s Bathinda district, he said. Patiala-based Rajindra Hospital’s medical superintendent HS Rekhi also confirmed to reporters that three people, one of them deceased, were brought to the hospital from the Khanauri border point. “He (Singh) had an injury to his head,” Rekhi said, adding that the condition of the other two is stable.
The Haryana Police has claimed that 12 police personnel have been injured in the attack by farmers at the Data Singh-Khanauri border.
Farmers in Khanauri, one of the two protest sites on the Punjab-Haryana border, claimed that Haryana Police personnel fired rubber bullets, as well as tear gas shells, to disperse protesters. Tear gas shells were fired to disperse farmers from Punjab at Shambhu and Khanauri border points as they attempted to move towards barricades hindering their protest march to Delhi.
Amid renewed outrage by protesting farmers over a massive tussle between farmers and Haryana Police at Shambhu and Khanauri borders, Union Minister Arjun Munda, who was part of previous rounds of talks with the farmers, once again offered to hold negotiations with them to diffuse the simmering tension across the three states. As protesting farmers moved forward, Haryana police on Wednesday fired tear gas shells at them on the Punjab-Haryana Shambhu and Khanauri borders as they tried to advance towards barricades stalling their protest march to Delhi.
The farmers, who have been protesting over their Minimum Support Price (MSP) demand against the government, are equipped with gas masks, bulldozers, and other heavy machinery to confront the police. Meanwhile, daily commuters between Delhi-Noida, Delhi-Gurugram, and Delhi-Ballabhgarh witnessed massive traffic jams due to blockades, barriers, and heavy security arrangements set up at border points by Delhi police, along with their counterparts in Noida and Gurugram, to prevent farmers from entering the national capital.
According to reports prepared by Central security agencies, nearly 14,000 people have been allowed to gather at the Shambhu barrier on Rajpura-Ambala Road, with nearly 1,200 tractor-trolleys, 300 cars, 10 mini-buses, and other small vehicles. Similarly, Punjab has permitted a gathering of around 4,500 people with close to 500 tractor-trolleys at the Dhabi-Gujran barrier.
“After the fourth round, the government is ready to discuss all the issues like MSP demand, crop diversification, stubble burning issue, and FIR registration during the 2020-21 protest in the fifth round. I again invite the farmer leaders for discussion. We must maintain peace,” Munda wrote on X in Hindi. However, there is no consensus among the farmer leaders on holding a meeting with Union Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda. While some are in favor of it, others argue that nothing substantial has come out of the previous meetings, so why hold another one?
Scores of farmers resumed their agitation two days after the fourth round of talks with the government over their demands, including a legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP) for crops and farm debt waiver, failed. Heavy earthmoving equipment, including excavators, and modified tractors were seen at the protest sites, with police cautioning that these might be used to break barricades and cause harm to security personnel. Police fired tear gas shells to disperse some farmers who started moving towards the multiple layers of barricades at the Shambhu border point near Ambala in Haryana. By mid-afternoon, there had been at least three rounds of tear gas shelling. A drone was also deployed by security personnel at Shambhu to drop tear gas shells.
In Khanauri too, police fired tear gas shells to disperse farmers as they moved towards the barricades. Following the tear gas shelling, a chaotic situation was witnessed at the protest sites with the farmers running for cover as the smoke enveloped the area. Many protesting farmers were seen wearing masks and glasses to protect themselves from the gas. Drones are also being used by police to keep an eye on the activities of the farmers on the other side of the barricades. The farmer leaders have asked the protesters to maintain calm and peace. Volunteers deputed by the farmer leaders at the protest sites have been asking young farmers not to move ahead.
