After a break of two days following a meeting with the Centre, the farmers resumed the Delhi Chalo march on Wednesday. The farmers are currently gathered at the Shambhu and Khanauri points on the Punjab and Haryana border since their march was stopped by security forces on February 13.
Ahead of restarting the march, Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) leader Sarwan Singh Pandher urged the Centre to let them march to Delhi. "We have told the government that you can kill us but please don't oppress the farmers. We request the Prime Minister to come forward and put an end to this protest by announcing a law on the MSP guarantee for the farmers," Pandher said, adding that the country would not forgive the government for stationing paramilitary forces in the villages of Haryana.
"What crime have we committed? We have made you the Prime Minister. We never thought that the forces would oppress us this way. Please protect the Constitution and let us peacefully head towards Delhi. This is our right," Pandher added.
Seize bulldozers
The Haryana Police on Tuesday asked its Punjab counterparts to seize bulldozers which they allege protesting farmers from Punjab have brought with them as they plan to resume their 'Delhi Chalo' from the interstate border.
Haryana Director General of Police (DGP) Shatrujeet Kapoor, in an urgent communication to his Punjab counterpart Gaurav Yadav, asked Punjab Police to seize all bulldozers and earthmoving equipment at the two border points. He said such equipment may pose a threat to security forces and the owners of such equipment should be strictly warned against providing them to the protesting farmers as it would "amount to a criminal act".
"It is reliably learnt that heavy earthmoving equipment including proclain (digger), JCB etc., that have been further modified/armour-plated have been acquired by protesting farmers and have been deployed at the border locations where the protesters are camping right now.
"These machines are meant to be used by the protesters to damage the barricades thereby posing serious danger to the police and paramilitary forces deployed on duty and is likely to compromise the security scenario in Haryana," Kapoor said in his communication.
MHA warning
The Union Home Ministry has also conveyed its strong objections to the Punjab government regarding the situation at the borders. The Centre has estimated that nearly 14,000 people have gathered along the Punjab-Haryana border with 1,200 tractor-trolleys, 300 cars, 10 mini-buses.
At the Dhabi-Gujran barrier, around 4,500 people have gathered with 500 tractor-trolleys, the MHA said.
In a communication to the Punjab government, the Union Home Ministry also said that the deteriorating law-and-order situation in the state has been a matter of concern over the last few days and asked it to take stringent action against lawbreakers.
The home ministry said many miscreants in the guise of farmers were indulging in stone-pelting, mobilising heavy machinery along the Shambhu on Punjab's border with Haryana.
In view of the above, it is requested to take immediate review and stringent action to curb all such disrupting activities in the guise of farmers' protest, it said.
The home ministry also said that as per reports, the court has asked the Punjab government to ensure that protestors do not gather in large numbers, especially raising serious objections on the use of tractor-trolleys, JCBs and other heavy equipment on highways.
