Thousands of farmers from across the country carrying flags of different colours and wearing their traditional dresses, including green turban and kurta pyjama, began their march to Parliament Street around 10.30 am on Friday.
The farmers, who were campaigning at the Ramlila Ground since Thursday, converged near Parliament Street police station after they were denied permission by the Delhi Police to march towards Parliament. Over 3,500 police personnel were deployed on the route of the farmer’s march to maintain law and order.
Women protesters from Madhya Pradesh performed their traditional dance on way towards Parliament. Some other women were seen walking with photographs of their dead husbands, who committed suicide due to farm distress.
Widows of farmers, who committed suicide after they did not get adequate compensation from Telangana and Centre Government, were carrying yellow flags and human skulls on their bodies.
About 1,300 members of the National South Indian River Interlinking Farmers Association reached the national Capital in the early hours of Thursday and were carrying seven skulls and bones, said their leader P Ayyakannu.
He said the skulls and bones were of the farmers who committed suicide. Nine farmers, without clothes, lay down in front of the stage by keeping bones on their bodies, and demanded profitable price for agricultural produce, waiver of loans, interlinking of rivers and pension for farmers over 60 years.
Five Gurdwaras in the Delhi region have extended their help to the farmers. Also students from various universities turned out in large numbers to lend support to the farmers.
It is the second major farmers’ protest in the national Capital in two months.
Volunteers, including doctors, lawyers, professors and artists, all came out in large numbers to help the farmers. Around 600-700 volunteers of a solidarity group ‘Nation For Farmers’ carrying their red flags marched with the protesters from the four assembly points.
“Small farmers have been hit by rising costs of living. They have benefited little from increased Minimum Support Price (MSP) for sugarcane as a web of middlemen in India’s agricultural markets, gobble up the profit,” said Sukhpal Singh, from Barwala village in Muzaffarnagar.
“Diesel prices have shot up by more than 40 per cent and power tariffs have surged by more than 20 per cent in the past two years. We want the Government to take some action that can benefit farmers,” said Dinesh Sahu, another farmer who had come from Jind in Haryana.
The Delhi march comes just a week after farmers from all across Maharashtra marched to Mumbai to reiterate their demands for loan waiver and land rights among others. Under the banner of All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC) farmers from several States, including Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh gathered at the Ramlila Ground on Thursday evening.
Farmers are demanding that the Government should call a special session of Parliament to discuss the agrarian crisis. Farmers are also demanding the clearance of two bills that have already been introduced in both Houses of Parliament.
At least 20 people, including police personnel, were injured in a clash between protesters and security personnel on October 2 at the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh gate border on National Highway-24 when Delhi Police denied entry to thousands of farmers into the city.