Prior to the Punjabi farmers’ February 13 “Dilli chalo” call, the Haryana Police on Saturday shut a portion of the Patiala Delhi national highway near the Data Singhwala-Khanauri border and dispatched a large police force that included female officers. According to reports, on February 13, the local police were directed to make sure that Punjabi farmers were not allowed to enter Delhi through Haryana.
In light of the impending farmers’ protest, the Haryana government also declared on February 10th that mobile internet, bulk SMS, and all dongle services would be suspended in seven districts around the state until February 13th. A “Delhi Chalo” march is planned for Tuesday, February 13, at which point over 200 farmers’ unions, including the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, would demonstrate in support of MSP legalisation and other demands.
There has been a suspension of mobile and communication services in seven districts: Ambala, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Jind, Hisar, Fatehabad, and Sirsa.
The goal of the march, according to the farmer unions, is to put pressure on the national government to acquiesce to a number of demands, such as passing legislation ensuring a minimum support price (MSP) for crops. Ambala and the surrounding districts have increased security in anticipation of the impending farmers’ protest.
Additionally, security was tightened at the border with Shambhu, which is close to Ambala. On February 13, higher authorities, notably Hisar range Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Matta Ravi Kiran, visited the border and requested that local police enforce a prohibition on Punjabi farmers’ admission into the nation’s capital.
“Taiyari puri hai aur Punjab ke kisano ko enter nahi karne diya jaayega,” stated Jind police SP Sumit Kumar. (Complete plans have been made, and Punjab farmers will not be permitted to enter Haryana.). To handle demonstrators, a sufficient number of police officers have been stationed at the border.
In the districts of Ambala, Jind, and Fatehabad, complex security measures are also in place to protect the borders between Punjab and Haryana. It is said that approximately fifty companies of central paramilitary personnel have been deployed by Haryana Police to uphold law and order within the state.
According to reports, the police have stocked up on concrete blocks, barbed wire, sandbags, barriers, and other supplies at the Shambhu border in Ambala, but the media has not been permitted to go close.
Moreover, authorities erected cement barricades on the Ghaggar flyover route near the Shambhu border, closing it to traffic.
According to officials, the Ghaggar river bed was also excavated to stop farmers from using tractors to access the roadway. It stated that visitors to Punjab are urged to do so only in cases of extreme necessity.
Similar plans are in the works for the districts of Jind and Fatehabad. The farmers intend to travel from the borders of Khanauri-Jind, Ambala-Shambhu, and Dabwali to Delhi.
At the Data Singhwala-Khanauri boundary, the Haryana Police closed a portion of the Patiala-Delhi national highway and dispatched heavy police officers, including women.
The farmers who are protesting have been asked not to take part in a scheduled march without permission. They’ve been threatened with harsh consequences by the police if they harm public property.
The police have requested that commuters travelling from Chandigarh to Delhi take alternate roads that pass through Panchkula, NH-344 Yamunanagar Indri/Pipli, Karnal, or via Derabassi, Barwala/Ramgarh, Saha, Shahbad, and Kurukshetra.
Leaders of farmer organisations met with three union ministers in Chandigarh.
To assuage their concerns, three union ministers—Piyush Goyal, Arjun Munda, and Nityanand Rai—reportedly met with the heads of Chandigarh’s farmer associations in the meantime. To communicate with farmer leaders, union ministers took a plane to Chandigarh.
Bhagwant Mann, the chief minister of Punjab, also stated that a number of concerns had been resolved and expressed optimism that a new meeting would take place soon.
2020 saw a gathering of farmers, primarily from Punjab and the surrounding Ambala districts, at the Shambhu border. They broke through police barriers and marched towards Delhi. The farmers, who were mostly from Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh, staged a protest against the three farm regulations that were eventually abolished throughout approximately 13 months at Singhu, Tikri, and Ghazipur, the border points of Delhi.
