‘Delhi Chalo’: Police take on farmers with tear gas; capital turns fortress

Shambhu border near Ambala resembled a battlefield on Tuesday (February 13) as Haryana Police hurled multiple rounds of tear gas shells, including from drones, to stop an estimated 10,000 farmers from Haryana, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh from marching to Delhi to seek the enactment of a law on minimum support price.

In an action replay of the 2020/21 protests, in which scores of farmers died and the capital city was cut off for months, farmers used tractors to remove the cemented blocks that had been placed as part of the barricading by the Haryana Police on the Ghaggar river bridge to prevent them from marching forward.

Central Delhi blocked off

In view of the farmers’ protest, Central Delhi has been put under heavy security cover with personnel in anti-riot gear deployed strategically and metal and concrete barricades regulating access to several key roads, leaving commuters in the lurch.

Some entry and exit gates of select Metro stations near important installations in the area have been shut as prohibitory orders remain in force. Gate numbers 1, 2 and 5 of central secretariat and Rajiv Chowk, Mandi House, Patel Chowk, Udyog Bhawan, Janpath, Barakhamba Road, and Khan Market stations are among those.

The historic Red Fort complex has been temporarily closed for visitors as well, a senior ASI official said.

Plan B in Delhi

A police officer said the security arrangements are part of “Plan B” to deal with any situation in case the protesting farmers enter the city and try to reach Parliament. All Parliament gates have been barricaded and extra security personnel, including from the paramilitary forces, deployed around the building. The barricades installed near Parliament have been fitted with barbed wire on top.

Elaborate security arrangements have also been made at the Lok Kalyan Marg, where the prime minister’s residence is located, and the residences of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda.

Farmers vs police

At the border, the protesters pelted the police with stones, which prompted the latter to use tear gas shells, they said. “Stones were pelted at Haryana Police by protesters. To control the situation, tear gas shells were being used,” said a Haryana Police spokesperson.

“No one will be allowed to create disturbance. Those doing so will be dealt with strictly,” the spokesperson said, asserting that “the situation is completely under control”. With multiple rounds of tear gas shells being hurled by police, a blanket of tear gas smoke has enveloped in the air.

Whenever a shell was dropped, farmers tried to cover it with a jute bag to limit its impact. Farmer leaders were heard asking the protestors to use wet clothes to minimise the impact of the tear gas shells.

Barricade breached

Initially, the police resorted to lobbing tear gas shells when a few youths broke an iron barricade and tried to throw it off the Ghaggar river bridge.

Despite an appeal by the Haryana police to the protestors to stay away from the barricades, many youths continued to stay put and stood over the barricades, officials said.

But after an hour, when a sizeable number of farmers gathered near the barricades at the Shambhu border, the police again resorted to hurling tear gas shells to disperse the protesters.

The tear gas shells were also lobbed after some of the protesters entered a nearby field. The police also used drones to hurl tear gas shells, apart from using them to keep an eye on the crowd of protesters.

Delhi Police take no chances

Apart from sealing three borders of Delhi — Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur — the Delhi Police has put up multiple layers of barricading at various roads leading to the Parliament and the central part of Delhi. Arrangements have been made at the Vikas Marg — that connects east Delhi to the central part of the national capital — to place cement barricades and sand-loaded dumpers at the centre of the road.

National Highway-9, heading towards Akshardham from Ghazipur, has been barricaded with cranes and heavy earthmovers. The police intensified the checking of vehicles to identify protestors trying to enter Delhi in commercial or private vehicles.

The outer ring road heading to the Red Fort has also been barricaded, as the police did not want to any take chances. During their last protest, a group of agitating farmers had barged into the central part of Delhi on January 26, 2021, creating a ruckus on Republic Day.

Section 144 has already been imposed all around the Delhi barring large gatherings and protests in the city. “If anyone tries to gather or hold any kind of demonstration in the central part of Delhi, they will be dealt with strictly,” a police officer said.

Farmers adamant

The protesting farmers on Tuesday morning commenced their “Delhi Chalo” march to press for their demands, after a meeting with two Union ministers over their demands, including legal guarantee to MSP for crops, remained inconclusive.

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha have announced that farmers will head to Delhi to press the Centre to accept their demands, including the enactment of a law to guarantee a Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops.

The farmers slammed the Haryana government for hurling tear gas shells and said they were determined to march towards Delhi to press the Centre to accept their demands.

Tikait’s point

Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) president Naresh Tikait wondered whether the farmers will always be in the agitation mode, block roads or head towards Delhi. On the proposed February 16 bandh call given by Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) and various organisations, Tikait said school vans, vehicles carrying patients and military vehicles will be allowed to go. The problems should be resolved through talks, he added.

Asked to elaborate on the demands of the farmers, Tikait told PTI Video in Muzaffarnagar, “The demands are different from different states. Will the farmer always be undertaking agitation, block roads or head towards Delhi? The government also has some (share) of responsibility. What is the problem in taking cognisance in these matters? And, the ‘ziddi ravaiyya’ (stubborn approach) is proving to be dangerous. The government should think (on these issues) and hold talks with the farmers,” he said and asserted that BKU is always with the farmers.

On borders being sealed in Delhi, he said, “The point of farmers goes unheard. The point of the government goes unheard. Whatever is the point of the farmers, it should be listened to. Or stopping it, is considered as one’s bravery.”

(With agency inputs)