Defying restrictions, farmers to march to Delhi from Shambhu border today

A “jatha” (group) of 101 farmers will embark on a foot march to Delhi at 1 pm from the Shambhu border protest site on Friday (December 6), farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher has said.

Pandher has termed the 101 farmers who will begin the march as “marjeevras”, someone willing to die for a cause.

However, the Ambala district administration has issued an order under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), restricting any unlawful assembly of five or more persons in the district.

According to the order issued by the deputy commissioner, taking out any procession on foot, vehicles, or other modes has been prohibited till further orders.

Paramilitary forces deployed

The police in Ambala sounded an alert on Thursday over the farmers’ plan to march to Delhi, and sent senior officers to the border to assess the security situation there.

Central paramilitary forces have also been deployed on the Haryana side of the border along with multi-layer barricading. Water cannons have also been deployed at the Shambhu border.

Ambala authorities have ordered the closure of all government and private schools in the district. "The government and private schools will remain closed on Friday," District Education Officer Ambala Suresh Kumar said.

Security tightened at Delhi borders

Delhi Police has also tightened security at the borders. "Delhi Police is on alert and security has been tightened at the border points of the city. A skeletal deployment has been made at the Singhu Border but it may increase as per the situation at the Shambu border on the Punjab-Haryana border," a senior police officer told news agency PTI.

Traffic is likely to be hit due to the security arrangements at the border and the central part of Delhi, he said. The officer said the police are also keeping an eye on developments on the Noida border, where another group of farmers from Uttar Pradesh observes a sit-in.

The Ambala district administration on Wednesday asked the farmers to reconsider their march and contemplate any action only after obtaining permission from Delhi Police.

Addressing a press conference at Shambhu border on Thursday, Pandher said, “The jatha will march towards Delhi (on Friday). What the government will do is for them to decide. We will begin our march towards Delhi at 1 pm from the Shambhu border.”

He also said if the government stops them from carrying out their march, it will be a “moral victory” for the farmers.

“Their leaders at the Centre and in states have been regularly saying that if the farmers do not bring tractor-trolleys, there should be no objection. So, if we go to Delhi on foot, there should be no reason to stop the farmers,” he said.

Farmers’ demands

The farmers gathered under the banner of Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha earlier announced a foot march to the national capital seeking legal guarantee for minimum support price of crops, among several other demands.

They have been camping at Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana since February 13 after their march to Delhi was stopped by security forces.

Also read: Farmers to continue protest till demands are met; decision today on site shift

Prohibitory orders in place

Invoking Section 163 of the BNSS, the Ambala deputy commissioner-cum-district magistrate in an order dated November 30 prohibited unlawful assembly of five or more persons, and taking out any procession on foot, vehicles or through any other mode.

“It is apprehended that a large number of protesters are likely to come from Punjab and Haryana and assemble at Shambu border to move towards Delhi. Hence, appropriate steps need to be taken at the border points and within the district, including issuance of prohibitory orders under Section 163 of BNSS so as not to allow movement of any such person without prior permission,” the order read.

“Any individual or group on foot or vehicles which can be used to damage public/private property and/or to confront law enforcement agencies, thereby creating hindrance in maintaining peace and public order, has been prohibited,” it added.

Fear of Parliament gherao

The order shall not apply on police and other public servants on duty for maintaining law and order, it added.

“This order shall come into force from 30.11.2024 and continue till further order,” it said.

“There are inputs that the agitators may gherao Parliament or camp permanently on the national highways leading to the national capital territory,” the order read, adding that the agitators have not obtained any permission under Section 69 of Haryana Police Act.

Police appeal to farmers

Talking to reporters in Ambala on Thursday, Superintendent of Police Surinder Singh Bhoria appealed to all the farmers to maintain peace, and obtain permission to march to Delhi.

“I want to assure all that the district police have made adequate arrangements to maintain law and order,” he said.

Also watch: 'Delhi chalo' march brings traffic to standstill as farmers demand MSP and more

When told that farmer leaders have said that 101 of them will march to Delhi in a peaceful manner, Bhoria said, “As I have told you, it is our collective responsibility to follow the law. Whatever may be the provisions of law, they should be followed.”

“Looks like international border”

Pandher, on his part, told reporters, “This does not look like a Punjab-Haryana border, but an international territory. If they (authorities) have their way, they will not even allow a bird to cross the border. They are treating us like we are enemies from some other country, whereas we are citizens of this land who want to peacefully march to the national capital to press our demands.”

He added that the first jatha that will leave from Shambhu border has been named “Marjeevda Jatha”. It will consist of 101 farmers who will march to Delhi on foot from Shambhu border.

More jathas to march to Delhi

Referring to a recent meeting between a farmers’ delegation and Ambala SP, Pandher said, “A proposal for talks came from the government side to which we said the farmers are open to a dialogue only if the proposal comes from either the Centre or the chief minister’s office in Haryana or Punjab.”

Replying to a query, Pandher said after the first jatha, other jathas will also move towards the national capital in subsequent days.

To another question, he said if the Haryana government uses force to stop the first jatha of 101 farmers from marching towards Delhi, “it will only expose the government”.

“If they have deployed Central forces, drones or are testing water cannons, it shows their intent is to stop us,” he added.

No tractor-trolleys

“Tomorrow (Friday), Guru Teg Bahadur Ji’s martyrdom day will be observed at both Shambhu and Khanauri border points. The jatha will be dedicated to the martyrdom of Guru Teg Bahadur Ji,” Pandher said.

On Thursday, Punjab DIG (Patiala Range) Mandeep Singh Sidhu and SSP (Patiala) Nanak Singh met Pandher and Surjit Singh Phul at the Shambhu border.

Sidhu said the farmers have assured the police that they will maintain peace and not involve tractor-trolleys in the march.

Fast-unto-death continues

The farmer leaders had earlier announced that the first jatha of farmers would be led by Satnam Singh Pannu, Surinder Singh Chautala, Surjit Singh Phul, and Baljinder Singh.

Meanwhile, SKM leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal continued his fast-unto-death at the Khanauri border point on Thursday.

Besides MSP, the farmers are also demanding farm debt waiver, pension for farmers and farm labourers, no hike in electricity tariff, withdrawal of police cases (against farmers), and “justice” for the victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence.

Reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013, and compensation to the families of farmers who died during the previous agitation in 2020-21 are also part of their demands.

Also read: Don't block highways, inconvenience people: SC to protesting farmers

SKM slams Adityanath

In a related incident, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) on Thursday said Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath should apologise for allegedly calling the farmers’ struggle “anarchy”, and called upon the judiciary and political parties to intervene.

“The SKM demands apology from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for calling farmers struggle anarchy. Right to Protest is a constitutional right of all citizens of India and the Indian Constitution was established through the great struggle of the people in two phases of struggles for Independence marked by 1857 and 1947 against the British Colonialism and feudalism,” the SKM said in a statement.

“Humiliating the protest of farmers for their rights as anarchy is unexpected from a person holding the constitutional position of the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh,” said the umbrella body of farmers’ organisations which led the 2020-21 farmers’ protests.

“Yogi Adityanath has to immediately withdraw the statement and tender apology,” they said.

“Farmers are not criminals or extremists”

The SKM alleged the Uttar Pradesh police are trespassing the houses of farmer leaders and detaining them on the pretext of “house arrest” when there are no such clauses in the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) or the Bharatiya Nagarik Surkahsa Sanhita (BNSS).

They said SKM leader Tajinder Singh Virk — who was critically injured in the Lakhimpur Kheri massacre — was detained at the Katghar police station for more than three hours and Rakesh Tikait was detained by the Aligarh Police to prevent them from attending the Kisan Mahapanchayat at the Yamuna Expressway on December 4.

“Farmers are not criminals or extremists and SKM considers these are unlawful actions to suppress the democratic form of protest of farmers on their genuine demands,” they said.

They said farmers have resolved to fight this and more than a hundred farmers, including women, courted arrest on Thursday and announced to continue to court arrest in the days to come.

“SKM seeks the intervention of the judiciary and also the political parties into these serious violations of fundamental rights,” they added.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday directed officials not to spare anyone “spreading anarchy” and recover the costs for any damage to public property from the perpetrators.

(With agency inputs)