New Delhi: Protesting farmers have planned to march in several areas on Saturday, to mark seven months of agitation against the Union government controversial farm laws. The Punjab police used water cannons to disperse farmers as they broke through barricades at the Chandigarh-Mohali border, trying to march towards the Punjab governor’s house in Chandigarh.
Officials said heavy police force was deployed in Chandigarh following a call by farmers to march towards the governor’s house here and submit a memorandum to mark the completion of seven months of their agitation against the Centre’s three new farm laws.
A large number of farmers, including women, from several parts of Punjab assembled at Amb Sahib gurudwara in Mohali before moving towards Punjab Raj Bhavan.
Similarly in Haryana, farmers from several parts of the state gathered at Nada Sahib gurudwara in Panchkula and headed towards the Raj Bhavan.
In view of the farmers’ protest march, the Haryana Police has made security arrangements at Chandigarh-Panchkula border.
The Delhi Police too tightened security arrangements across borders in view of the anticipated protest march.
Saturday marks the completion of seven months of the protests by the farmers, ever since they began their stir by camping at Singhu border between Delhi and Haryana. The other two protest sites on the national capital’s borders are Tikri and Ghazipur.
The protesting farmers have demanded the withdrawal of the Union government’s new farm laws and that a new law be made to guarantee minimum support price (MSP) for their crops.
The Delhi Metro has decided to shut its three main stations on the Yellow Line for four hours on Saturday. “As advised by Delhi Police, in view of security reasons, three Metro stations of Yellow Line namely, Vishwavidyalaya, Civil Lines and Vidhan Sabha will remain closed for public from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm tomorrow i.e, 26.06.2021 (Saturday),” the DMRC had tweeted Friday night.
According to a statement by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of 40 farmer unions protesting at various Delhi border points, Kheti Bachao, Loktantra Bachao Diwas (save agriculture, save democracy) is being marked all over India on Saturday on the completion of seven months of the farmers’ protests and 46 years after promulgation of Emergency in India in 1975.
Thousands of farmers across India plan to march in rallies to Raj Bhavans in different states on Saturday. As an expression of solidarity, one such rally is also being planned in Massachusetts, USA, it said.
Thousands of farmers from Saharanpur and Sisauli in western Uttar Pradesh reached Ghazipur Gate led by BKU chief Rakesh Tikait. Protests by farmers growing wheat, sugarcane, mango, apple, green gram, paddy, jowar and others continue in different parts of the country for remunerative guaranteed prices, the statement said.
“In the last seven months, farmer unions of India, led by Samyukt Kisan Morcha, organised one of the world’s largest and longest continuous protests. Thousands have joined in from different parts of the country. We plan to intensify our stir as well,” Dr Darshan Pal of the BKU said, according to the Indian Express.
The representatives of farmers will also seek to submit memoranda to governors in various states on Saturday.
(With PTI inputs)