Farmers’ Delhi Chalo March: A group of 101 farmers resumed their foot march to Delhi at 12 noon from the Shambhu border point between Punjab and Haryana amid high security. The farmers are marching to the national capital on foot to press their various demands, including a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP).
#WATCH | Farmers begin their “Dilli Chalo’ march from the Haryana-Punjab Shambhu Border, protesting over various demands. pic.twitter.com/9EHUU2Xt1j
— ANI (@ANI) December 8, 2024
“Delhi Police is on alert and security has been tightened at the Singhu border. A skeletal deployment has been made at the Singhu border but it may increase as per the situation at the Shambu border,” a senior police officer told PTI. He said traffic may also be hit due to the security arrangements at the border and central Delhi.
Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said the media was being stopped from covering the protest march to “hide atrocities on farmers”.
“Media is also complaining, there was a letter from the DGP to keep media one km away, it was because they were showing atrocities on farmers. I told them not to stop the media. Then the DGP briefed them, the DGP told them to take care of themselves while going ahead, and keep masks,” he said.
The farm leader added, “The media personnel said that officials misbehaved with them saying that it is DGP’s order. They said that there was no advisory to press. The DGP said that it was a miscommunication, he also said that there was no such order. They were then allowed to cover.”
VIDEO | “Media is also complaining, there was a letter from the DGP to keep media one km away, it was because they were showing atrocities on farmers. I told them not to stop the media. Then the DGP briefed them, the DGP told them to take care of themselves while going ahead, and… pic.twitter.com/az9o3FXqq5
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 8, 2024
A strict vigil is also being maintained at the Noida border as another group of farmers from Uttar Pradesh has been protesting there, he added. The officer said police are ready to tackle any situation.
The protesting farmers earlier attempted to march towards Delhi on February 13 and February 21 but were stopped by security forces.
Besides MSP, the farmers are demanding a 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 among their demands.
