Following farmers' march to Delhi from Punjab’s Shambhu border via Haryana, the Haryana government has announced a temporary suspension of mobile internet and bulk SMS services in parts of Ambala district until December 9 midnight to maintain law and order situation in the region.

An official on Friday stated that the suspension of internet and bulk SMS services is aimed at maintaining peace and public order in the region. The affected regions include Dangdehri, Lohgarh, Manakpur, Dadiyana, Bari Ghel, Lhars, Kalu Majra, Devi Nagar, Saddopur, Sultanpur, and Kakru village.

The protesting farmers are demanding legal guarantees for the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of crops, debt waivers, pensions for farmers and agricultural labourers, reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act.

Earlier during the day, a group of about 100 farmers, named ‘Marjeevda Jatha’, began its foot march to Delhi from their protest site at the Shambhu border, but was stopped a few meters away by a multilayered barricading.

Citing prohibitory order clamped under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), Haryana Police asked farmers not to proceed further. Six protesters were injured on Friday after the Haryana Police and paramilitary forces lobbed tear gas shells at agitating farmers at the Shambhu border.

Tear gas shells were fired by the security personnel after the protesters were heading towards barricades at the border. Moreover, to prevent disruptions, the Haryana Police have tightened security at the Ambala-Delhi border with multilayered barricades at the Shambhu border on National Highway 44 and have also deployed water cannons.

 The Ambala administration has enforced Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, prohibiting the assembly of five or more persons in the district.  The administration has closed all government and private schools in the district.  Talking to reporters, Ambala Superintendent of Police Surinder Singh Bhoria said: “We have made adequate security arrangements. We have appealed to the farmers to maintain law and order. They have been told to obtain permission from the Delhi police for their march. We will allow them to proceed only if they have the required permissions.”

 The farmers’ earlier attempts to march to Delhi on February 13 and 21 were thwarted by heavy security at the Punjab-Haryana border. Since then, farmers under the banners of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha have been staging protests at these border points.