Two days after halting their ‘Dilli Chalo’ (march to Delhi) protest, farmers have planned another attempt to enter the national capital from the Shambhu border, located between Punjab and Haryana, in order to push for their demands, which include a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP) and loan waivers.
On Friday, December 6, a group of 101 farmers began marching towards Delhi from their protest site at the Shambhu border but were stopped by a multilayered barricade set up by Haryana security forces just a few meters away. The protest was called off after several farmers were reportedly injured by tear gas shells fired by the police at the Shambhu border.
However, farmer leaders insisted that the march would resume on December 8 if the Centre does not engage in talks by then.
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Key Points of the Farmers’ Dilli Chalo Protest:
A total of 101 farmers, part of the “marjeevras” (those willing to die for a cause), began their march on Friday to demand a legal guarantee for MSP for crops. In addition to MSP, they are also seeking a farm loan waiver, pensions for farmers and farm laborers, no increase in electricity tariffs, the withdrawal of police cases against farmers, and justice for the victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence.
After a few hours, the farmers suspended the march for the day after some were injured due to tear gas shelling at the Punjab-Haryana border. A farmer leader reported that five to six farmers were injured, and Sarwan Singh Pandher later announced the suspension of the march, stating that the injured were taken to a hospital.
Under the banners of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, the farmers have been demanding that the government provide a legal guarantee for MSP. They have been camping at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana since February 13, when their march to Delhi was blocked by security forces.
On Friday, farmer leaders held a press conference, announcing that 101 farmers would march towards Delhi at 12 noon on December 8 if the government does not engage in talks by the following day. Sarwan Singh Pandher, speaking at the Shambhu border, said they would wait until tomorrow for discussions with the government. “We will wait till tomorrow for talks with the government, otherwise, a ‘Jatha’ of 101 farmers will march towards Delhi on 8 December at 12 noon,” he said.
In response to the protests, the Haryana government on Friday suspended mobile internet and bulk SMS services in 11 villages of Ambala district until December 9. The ban was enforced in the villages of Dangdehri, Lohgarh, Manakpur, Dadiyana, Bari Ghel, Lhars, Kalu Majra, Devi Nagar, Saddopur, Sultanpur, and Kakru.
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