After hours of confrontation and talks with the farmers, the Delhi Police on Friday afternoon allowed the farmers to enter the national capital. They would be escorted to Nirankari ground in Burari for carrying on their protests against the Centre’s Farm Laws.
“After discussion with farmer leaders, the protesting farmers have been permitted inside Delhi to hold peaceful protest at Nirankari ground in Burari. Delhi Police appeals to them to maintain peace,” said Eish Singhal PRO Delhi police.
The agitating farmers earlier entered into a confrontation with Delhi Police and there was mild lathi-charge and some rounds of tear gas shells used besides water cannons to push the farmers from Singhu and Tikri borders along Delhi-Haryana.
Massive traffic jams were also reported from Singhu border, Tikri border and Delhi-Gurugram border because of the protest.
Delhi Police would make proper arrangements for the systematic movement of farmers from borders of Haryana to lead them to the designated place of protest in North Delhi’s Burari area.
Some 500 farmers’ organisations from six states—Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and Kerala—had planned the 26-27 November march for two months to press the central government to repeal the recently enacted farm laws.
However, the farmers refused to leave Delhi-Haryana Sindhu border fearing that their protest would be “weakened”. Gurpreet Singh, a farmer associated with Bhartiya Kisan Union Ekta in Punjab, told IANS that most of the farmers don’t want to go to the Burari ground and that is the reason why they are all are sitting there.
“Till the time the government does not accept our three demands, we will sit here,” he asserted.
Singh said that the farmers have been demanding the revocation of the three farm laws that were passed in Parliament in September this year, guarantee the minimum support price to farmers and roll back the fine on stubble burning.
Meanwhile, Showing solidarity with the farmers in their fight against the government over recently-enacted farm laws, former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Friday appealed for food and shelter for the agitating farmers. “This is an appeal to all Haryana residents. Please try to provide food, shelter and medicines to the peacefully agitating farmers,” he said.
Criticising the use of water cannons and teargas against the farmers, Hooda called on the government to “shed their arrogance” and come forward to talk to the farmers.
With IANS inputs