The Delhi Police has taken strict measures to prevent the entry of protesters into the national capital. They have imposed Section 144, prohibiting large gatherings, in the North-East district of Delhi until March 11. The police have sealed the borders of Delhi and deployed heavy-duty bulldozers, backhoe machines, riot control vehicles, and water cannons to stop the protesters.
An order has also been issued to stop the entry of tractors, trolleys, buses, trucks, commercial vehicles, private vehicles, horses, etc., carrying protesters from Uttar Pradesh and Haryana to Delhi. Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora reached the Singhu border on Sunday afternoon to inspect the security arrangements.
This comes after thousands of farmers from Haryana and Punjab are gearing up for a ‘Delhi Chalo’ march on February 13 to pressurize the central government to accept their various demands, including the enactment of a law guaranteeing a minimum support price (MSP) for crops and the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission report. The march has been organized by around 200 farmers’ unions from across the country.
Sensing the gravity of the matter, the Haryana Police have also issued a traffic advisory, urging commuters to limit travel on the main roads of the state on February 13, anticipating potential traffic disruptions on major routes from Haryana to Punjab. The Haryana government has also suspended mobile internet services and bulk SMS in several districts, including Ambala, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Jind, Hisar, Fatehabad, and Sirsa, until February 13.
Meanwhile, three union ministers, Piyush Goyal, Arjun Munda, and Nityanand Rai, will meet farmers’ leaders Jagjit Singh Dallewal and Sarwan Singh Pandher in Chandigarh on February 12 to listen to their problems and address their concerns.
However, the farmers’ leaders have expressed their dissatisfaction with the government’s attitude and said that they will not call off their protest until their demands are met. They have also accused the government of trying to intimidate them by imposing Section 144, sealing the borders, and shutting down internet services, stating that such actions are not conducive to constructive dialogue.