Farmers' march: Punjab-Haryana border sealed at Shambhu, Ambala

In anticipation of the farmers' planned 'Delhi Chalo' march on February 13, authorities in Haryana have closed the border with Punjab at Shambhu near Ambala. Extensive measures have been put in place at the borders in Jind and Fatehabad districts to prevent the march from proceeding.

Apprehending the disturbance of peace, the Haryana government has also suspended mobile internet services and bulk SMS in seven districts -- Ambala, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Jind, Hisar, Fatehabad and Sirsa -- from February 11 to 13.

Fifty companies of paramilitary forces have been deployed to support the Haryana Police. Haryana Police Chief Shatrujeet Kapur has issued a stern warning, threatening strict action against anyone attempting to disturb the peace. Authorities have cautioned farmers to stay clear and have also stated that any damage to public property will be met with repercussions. Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij has reiterated the state government's commitment to ensuring complete tranquility.

In the meantime, the Centre has extended an invitation to the protesting farmers for discussions on Monday. However, the likelihood of the meeting resulting in the farmers calling off their protests is slim, given that the demands necessitate thorough deliberation and legislative processes.

BKU to join Friday's protest

The protest is organised by Samyukt Kisan Morcha (non-political), but several farmers' organisations have distanced themselves from it. Bharatiya Kisan Union (Lakhowal), which played a significant role in the farmers' protest in 2020-21 leading to the withdrawal of three laws by the Centre, has announced its decision not to participate in Tuesday's protest.

Instead, they plan to join a protest scheduled for Friday. Nevertheless, BKU has cautioned that if farmers involved in Tuesday's protest are subjected to mistreatment, all unions will take to the streets.

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha had announced the 'Delhi Chalo' march by more than 200 farmers' unions on February 13 to press the Centre into accepting several demands, including the enactment of a law to guarantee a minimum support price (MSP) for crops.

The road on the Ghaggar flyover at the Shambhu border is shut for traffic movement, with police placing cemented barricades on the road. Barbed wire, sandbags, concrete blocks barricades and other items have been stocked at the Shambhu border.

View cutters and frames were also being put up at the flyover. The Ghaggar riverbed has also been dug up to prevent farmers from reaching the highway.

In Jind, two roads near the Haryana-Punjab border have been shut for vehicular movement and restrictions imposed on two more roads, a police official said on Sunday.

In Fatehabad district, police have also put-up cemented barricades and spike strips on a Jakhal road to stop protesters from Punjab moving towards Delhi.

The Haryana Police on Saturday issued a traffic advisory asking commuters to take alternative routes.

Diversions in place

In the traffic advisory, police asked commuters going from Chandigarh to Delhi to take alternative routes via Derabassi, Barwala/Ramgarh, Saha, Shahbad, Kurukshetra, or through Panchkula, NH-344 Yamunanagar Indri/Pipli, Karnal.

Similarly, passengers travelling from Delhi to Chandigarh have been asked to reach their destination via Karnal, Indri/Pipli, Yamunanagar, Panchkula, or Kurukshetra, Shahbad, Saha, Barwala, Ramgarh, according to police.

The farmers have planned to head to Delhi from the Ambala-Shambhu border, Khanauri-Jind and the Dabwali border.

Ambala and Kaithal districts have imposed section 144 of the CrPC, prohibiting the assembly of five or more people.

Police have also been holding meetings with sarpanch of villages and khap panchayats, asking them not to participate in the march.

SKM (Non-Political) leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal slammed the Haryana government for making arrangements to stop farmers from going towards Delhi.

"We are ready for talks and will never run away from dialogue," he said.

On one side, talks are going on with the Centre and on the other hand, the state government is creating terror, Dallewal said, adding, "What the Khattar government is doing is unfortunate and condemnable." He said the government had "promised" a legal guarantee on minimum support price during the stir against the now-repealed farm laws.

The farmer leader said the government had "promised" the withdrawal of cases registered against farmers.

Farmers were forced to move towards Delhi as their demands were not accepted by the Centre.

"Why is the government scared? Huge barricading was being done. Is this democracy," Dallewal asked.

"If the situation turns bad, it will be the responsibility of the Khattar government," he said in a video message.

Meeting on Feb 13

Three Union ministers - Piyush Goyal, Arjun Munda, and Nityanand Rai met farmers representatives on February 8.

According to Pandher, the three Union ministers will come to Chandigarh on February 12 to have discussions with representatives from the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha. This meeting is set to be held at the Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration in Sector 26.

Pandher also shared the letter inviting them to attend the talks in Chandigarh.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who collaborated with the farmer leaders to organise the meeting, also participated in it.

Following the meeting, the farmer leaders stated that the central ministers had assured them of organising a second round of discussions soon.

In 2020, a large number of farmers from Punjab and nearby areas of Ambala gathered at the Shambhu border and broke police barriers to march towards Delhi.

The farmers, mainly from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, held a year-long protest on Delhi's border points -- Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur -- against the three now-repealed farm laws.

Section 144 imposed

The Delhi Police have imposed section 144 at the borders with Uttar Pradesh to prevent any untoward incidents from happening and to keep the peace. They said that some farmer groups want to come to Delhi on February 13 to talk about their demands, and they might stay at the border until they get what they want.

The rule says that people can't gather at the borders between Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, and nearby areas in the north-east district. Also, vehicles like tractors, trucks, and buses carrying protesters from Uttar Pradesh won't be allowed to enter Delhi. The police in the north-east district will try their best to stop protesters from coming into Delhi.

The rule also says that protesters can't have weapons like guns, swords, or sticks. The police will try to stop these people if they see them with weapons. If someone breaks this rule, they could be punished according to the law.

(With agency inputs)