Tag: Police permission

In Photos: Farmers Brave the Cold as ‘Delhi Chalo’ Protest Continues

The police is not letting them enter the city, and insisting that they go to Burari, to a designated protest site.

At the borders of Delhi, farmers are camping to protest against the Centre’s new farm Bills. The police is not letting them enter the city, and insisting that they go to Burari, to a designated protest site. Farmers’ unions, however, believe that Burari will be like an “open jail”.

Despite the cold and risks of coronavirus, farmers say their protest will go on until the government agrees to repeal the laws, which they see as a serious risk to their livelihood. Instead, they want the minimum support price system strengthened.

BKU leader Khatan from Muzaffarnagar briefs his comrades on the protest plans at UP Gate at the Ghaziabad-Delhi border.

All images by Shome Basu.

‘Let PM Modi Know The Bread He Eats is Grown in My Punjab,’ Says 70-Year-Old Farmer

At Singhu border between Haryana and Delhi, farmer Dev Singh sums up the struggle as one being fought for generations to come.

New Delhi: As Delhi opened its boundaries to protesting farmers in Burari’s Sant Nirankari Ground, farmers refused to enter and protest there as they felt that their movement will lose momentum if they leave the border.

Surrounding the several thousand tractors, trucks, buses and people at the Delhi-Haryana Singhu border were police and BSF, both in large numbers. Singhu border is one of the main routes used to access Delhi from Punjab.

As the third day of protests against the three farm bills introduced by the government in June approached, traffic movement across Delhi felt the effects throughout the day. Farmers, in thousands, have set up camp on the border along with enough ration to last them for months, they say. While some hundred farmers had gathered in Sant Nirankari ground in Burari today, November 28, most farmers were reluctant to shift from their protest site at Singhu. Out of the several thousand farmers who were protesting, hardly 200 of them reached the ground in the morning. The police have made arrangements, such as installing temporary toilets, at the ground.

Protesters at Santi Nirankari Ground in Burari. Photo: Ismat Ara/The Wire

Friday had witnessed police using teargas shells, water cannon and multi-layer barriers to block the protesters but the farmers had remained firm and continued to push through as part of their ‘Delhi Chalo’ march against the Centre’s new farm laws.

Langars, flags, charged up speeches

On one side, langar (free food served by the Sikh community) was being cooked non-stop for the many thousand farmers as well as others who have joined the protest. On another a speech was being delivered by a farmer leader about the dangers of the three new laws. Among the elderly farmers listening was a 70-year-old man.

Also read: ‘Attack on Agitators Felt Personal’: Farmer Leading Convoy of 10,000 Women Protesters

Dev Singh, from Punjab’s Patiala, has been here for two days now, but still hasn’t got tired of the slogans, among which is his favorite, “Bole So Nihal…Sat Sri Akal”. His hands trembled a little, but he still held the green flag high up in the air. Needless to say, Singh was not the only elderly person in the protest.

A protester wears a paper cap with the slogan, “Jai Jawan, jai kisan, jai swaraj.” Hail the army, hail the farmers, hail the self governance.

But what about coronavirus?

Singh said that the government was using coronavirus as an excuse to send them back from the protest site. “If they [government] are so concerned about coronavirus spreading, why did they bring such laws during the pandemic, forcing us to come out?” he asks.

The three bills, The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020, and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill 2020 were introduced in June as ordinances, when the country was gripped in fear and doubt over the pandemic.

Singh said he has not travelled alone. “Try counting the tractors, the sea of people…they have all come with me.” His family includes his wife, his two sons, two daughters and his grandchildren, he later revealed. All of them are part of the ‘Dilli Chalo’ protest, he added.

“My family was afraid that I might get sick. But I am more scared for them, their future, our farms,” he said.

Protesters at Delhi-Haryana border. Photo: Ismat Ara/The Wire

A message to PM Modi

“Please tell him [Prime Minister Narendra Modi] that the bread he eats…it grows in our farms. We, farmers, are the ones who feed the entire country,” he said.

He added that he did not support any particular party, but despised any party that works against the farmers.

“He promised that achche din (good days) will come, but when?”

Singh has been a farmer since he was five or six years old. What began as an exercise to help the elders of the family has continued to this day. “I am old but not weak and still do farming,” he said. In Punjab, he grows rice, wheat and sugarcane. 

Even though the Narendra Modi government has assured the farmers that the bills will “empower” small, marginal farmers by allowing them to access markets of their choosing, Singh disagreed. He said, “If the farmers do not get the MSP for their produce, they will ultimately commit suicide as they will be doing hard work but not getting anything out of it.”

Farmers sit as a leader addresses them. Photo: Ismat Ara/The Wire

The three laws 

When asked if he knows details of the three laws that the protests are against, he said that all he cares about is his children, and he knows that this law will hamper their farming activities. “All farmers are upset with these laws, they must have a reason. I had to join them in their agitation. There is power in numbers.”

He said, further, that farming is their bread and butter. “It is through farming that we have sustained our families our entire lives. This is how we have taken care of our kids.”

“Privatisation is never good, anyway,” he added.

Tea is being prepared by protesters for serving. Photo: Ismat Ara/The Wire

Singh and thousands of farmers believe that it will be difficult to negotiate directly with large-scale, private buyers and that removing mandis will result in farmers’ exploitation. Farmers are also worried that the MSP system, guaranteed by the government, will be removed if private players enter the market.

According to The National Crime Records Bureau of India, a total 296,438 Indian farmers have committed suicide since 1995, accounting for 11.2% of all suicides in India. Of these, 60,750 farmer suicides were in the state of Maharashtra since 1995, with the remaining across Odisha, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh, all states with loose financial and entry regulations.

“They now want to make the farmers of Punjab poor as well and drive them to suicide,” a young farmer said while addressing a crowd.

“But Punjab will rise against these laws for the farmers of the entire country. Punjab will not let this happen,” he added.

Watch | Ground Report: Centre Backs Down, Delineates Nirankari Grounds as Protest Venue

‘The government says many things, but we want our basic rights to be safeguarded,’ said a protester.

Farmers travelling to Delhi in protest against the agricultural laws, were allowed to come to Nirankari Grounds in Delhi on Friday.

The Wire reports from the ground and interviews a wide cross-section of people present at the protest site.

‘Attack on Agitators Felt Personal’: Farmer Leading Convoy of 10,000 Women Protesters

Harinder Bindu, from Bhatinda, has been a farmer for 30 years. But she is not ready to have women thrown under the bus over three laws.

New Delhi: A convoy of at least 10,000 women protesters making its way towards Delhi from 14 districts across Punjab is being led by a woman farmer herself.

Harinder Bindu, from Bhatinda, has been a farmer for no fewer than 30 years.

Bindu has lived her entire life in Punjab with her son, brother, sister-in-law and parents. A high school graduate who went to a local school in Bhatinda, Bindu had taken an interest in farming from an early age.

All was well until the Centre brought three highly controversial farm laws, against which farmers from around the country and especially in Bindu’s home state of Punjab have been protesting for the past couple of months.

On November 26, thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, who had begun a ‘Delhi chalo’ movement to voice their concerns at the National Capital, met with water cannon, teargas shells, barbed wire and barricades.

Also read: Farm Laws: Arrests, Heavy Police Deployment as Protestors Begin March Towards Delhi

This “attack” on farmers, she says, feels personal to her.

The farmers are apprehensive of private companies taking over the market and exploiting them. The law, they have alleged, will make for the protection of the minimum support price (MSP) to be taken away. They are demanding that these laws be scrapped, or a new law be made guaranteeing them MSP on their produce.

A protester at the Nirankari Grounds. Photo: Ismat Ara/The Wire

Why women? 

The large number of women protesters has been a noteworthy aspect of the farmers’ march to Delhi. Bindu feels that the time is ripe for women to come out in large numbers now. She, like others, have brought along cooking essentials and rations to last them for the length of the protest.

“The three laws brought by the Modi government will impact women in a very different way,” said Bindu.

She says that even though all Indians will be affected adversely by these three laws, women need to raise their voices more because the kitchen, which is considered their departments, will come to a “halt with this law.”

“If the farmers’ are affected, they will not be able to earn enough money to sustain their households. This will impact women as they will have to control the portions of meals that they cook,” she says, adding that children will also be affected ultimately.

This is not all. She says that when farms stop generating enough income, women will have to go out to work in areas where there are no guarantees for their safety.

Bindu, along with her family and others, left her house on November 25. Three days later, she is still not in Delhi. Till the time of publishing of this article she was still 30 km away. “They had sealed the borders, the police were beating protesters, we had to stay behind considering the safety of all the women with us,” she says.

Near Mandi Dabwali, Punjab Haryana border, woman farmers sit in a dharna. Photo: By arrangement.

Hundreds of vehicles, thousands of men and women, but all of them have three simple demands.”Withdraw the three farm acts, abolish electricity (amendment) bill and bring a new law ensuring an MSP for the farmers,” she says. Ultimately, their land is their primary asset, she says. 

The Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2020 seeks to set up an Electricity Contract Enforcement Authority (ECEA) which will have the power of a civil court to settle disputes related to power purchase agreements between distribution companies and power generation companies.

Farmers’ Protest LIVE Updates | ‘Will Sit at Delhi Border Till Permission Given to Go to Jantar Mantar,’ Say Protesters

Sustained protests by farmers against the Centre’s new farm laws have culminated in a two-day rally on November 26 and 27.

New Delhi: As part of the ‘Dilli Chalo’ protest called for November 26 and 27, more than three lakh farmers, including over two lakh protesters from Punjab alone, have reached the Delhi border. The BJP governments in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand have adopted severe repressive measures arresting more than 100 local farmer leaders, detaining several others and preventing movement through states.

On Friday morning, farmers overcame barricades placed by the police and began marching towards Delhi. Those who had been stopped at the borders at Uttar Pradesh and Haryana have sat down on dharnas on the roads.

On Saturday, protesters, who have arrived at the Delhi border from Punjab, have refused to go to the Nirankari Ground in Burari. This was decided at a meeting of senior leaders held at Kundali in the morning today.

We will bring you live updates from the protests through the day, as and when they happen.

Note: The live blog may take a little while to load.


Watch | Here’s What Happened When Farmers Tried to Reach Delhi to Protest Against Farm Laws

On November 26, celebrated as Constitution Day, the constitutional right to democratic protest was severely infringed upon.

On November 26, celebrated as Constitution Day, the constitutional right to democratic protest was severely infringed upon when police in BJP ruled states attempted to stop farmers from reaching Delhi. They used water cannon and tear gas in addition to barricades on roads and highways.

Farm Laws: Arrests, Heavy Police Deployment as Protestors Begin March Towards Delhi

The indefinite strike against the Centre’s farm laws starting November 26 is a coming together of at least 420 farmers organisations nationwide.

Mohali: Over two lakh farmers and members of trade unions, student organisations and artiste collectives from across the country have started mobilising for the march towards New Delhi to mark their protest against the three recent farm laws passed by the BJP government at the Centre in September this year in a rushed manner.

According to sources, at least 100 farm union members, especially in Haryana have already been arrested. Around 500 farmers have been arrested in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Prominent farmer leaders Rishipal Ambawata and P. Ayyakannu have also been placed under house arrest by the administration.

The largest groups of protesters are marching from Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. Protestors who manage to enter Delhi despite heavy barricading by the Delhi, Haryana and the Uttar Pradesh police from all sides, plan to set up indefinite protests sites wherever they can. Those who will not be allowed to cross the border will set up stages and tents on the outskirts of the national capital.

According to media reports, the Karnal deputy commissioner has imposed Section 144 in the area to stop farmers from marching towards Delhi.

Farmers at the Punjab-Haryana border. Photo: Special arrangement

After crossing the barricades at Ambala, hundreds of farmers faced water cannons at Kurukshetra.

“More than two lakh people will be joining from Punjab,” Joginder Singh Urgahan of the Bharatiya Kisan Union Ekta (Ugrahan) told The Wire.

Protestors  from Punjab are moving towards Delhi in tractors and trolleys along with rations, tents, stage set-ups, speakers and everything else they can carry to show their anger against the Centre.

“More than 26,000 women are going to be part of these indefinite strikes,” said Harinder Bindu of the BKU (Ugrahan), who has been mobilising women in village after village in Punjab these past few weeks.  Entire families, along with children and  all cooking essentials have been stocked, Bindu said.

Also read: Delhi Police Refuse Permission for Farmers’ ‘Delhi Chalo’ Protest March

Protesting women, some of whom are farmers, some daily-wage workers and some who are widows of farmers who died by suicide, are all marching to New Delhi to show their anger Centre’s policies. In the last few days, most of these women have crowdsourced ration from various households in different villages to take with them to New  Delhi.

“The people of Punjab are making history”, Joginder Singh Ugrahan said.

From Punjab, artist groups are also all set to stage plays and sing songs at protest sites, wherever they can. Amolak Singh of the Punjab Lok Sabhyachaar Manch told The Wire that street plays and protest songs will be sung. He said that over two dozen artists are going to be performing and they are carrying everything that they need with them.

The Punjab Lok  Sabhyachar Manch is one of the many artist groups which has been actively participating in the protest against the farm laws in Punjab. Over the past few weeks, they have been taking out traditional ‘jaago’, or night rallies, singing protest songs and urging people to join them in the movement.

‘Jaago’: a night march being carried out in Punjab. Photo: Special arrangement

Abhimanyu Kohar of the Rashtriya Kisan Morcha told The Wire that the protestors are very determined. He confirmed that around 1,000 protests have already arrived at the Majnu Ka Tila Gurudwara in New Delhi.

“We will now decide where set-up our camp – at Rajghat or at Jantar Mantar, we don’t know”, he said.

According to Kohar, the Jabalpur Festival Express train, in which many protestors were travelling to Delhi from Madhya Pradesh, has been cancelled by the administration.

Also read: Three Farm Bills and India’s Rural Economy

From the south of India, many farmers are on their way in trains. Kavitha Kuruganthi, the national working group member of the All India Kisan Sangharsh Committee (AIKSCC), told The Wire that farm union leaders from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala are on their way in the hundreds but because lack of public transportation due to coronavirus, many protests are being mobilied locally to show support.

Kuruganthi said that in Tamil Nadu around 500 protests will be held, blocking rail tracks and roads. In Jharkhand, protestors plan to occupy the governor’s house. In Karnataka, ‘Graameen Harthal’, or village strikes will be taking place. In West Bengal also farmers’ unions will be mobilising locally.

Farmers mobilising in Tamil Nadu. Photo: Special arrangement

From Madhya Pradesh, activist Medha Patkar is on the way with over 200 farmers and daily-wage workers. “We  are on our way, all of us, more people will join as we go,” she told The Wire in a brief, patchy telephone conversation.

From Uttarakhand, the chief of the Tarai Kisan Union, Tejinder Singh Virk told The Wire that 300 trolleys and tractors will  start on the morning of November 26.

Virk said that in the neighbouring state of Uttar Pradesh, most farmers are not being allowed to mobilise or gather and many farm union leaders are being sent notices.

Kavita Kuruganthi also said that in Uttar Pradesh, the printing of  pamphlets and leaflets about the protest is also being stopped at many places.

The indefinite strike against the Centre’s farm laws starting November 26 is a coming together of at least 420 farmers organisations nationwide. The protest is happening under the banner of Sanyukt Kisan Morcha.

Delhi Police Refuse Permission for Farmers’ ‘Delhi Chalo’ Protest March

The ‘Delhi Chalo’ march will be held on November 26 and 27 in protest against the recently passed farm laws and the minimum support price system.

New Delhi: The Delhi Police on Wednesday asserted that it has rejected all requests received from various farmers’ organisations to protest in the national capital against the Centre’s new farm laws. This comes a day before the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march, which is to be held on November 26 and 27 in protest against the recently passed farm laws.

The police had on Tuesday said legal action would be taken against the protesting farmers if they come to the city for any gathering amid the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak.

The farmers will reach Delhi on November 26 through five highways connecting the city as part of their ‘Delhi Chalo’ march call.

Taking to Twitter, the city police said requests have been rejected for any such gathering in the national capital.

“Please co-operate with Delhi Police in ensuring no gathering in Delhi amid coronavirus, failing which legal action will be initiated as per law,” it said.

The All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC), Rashtriya Kisan Mahasangh and various factions of the Bharatiya Kisan Union have joined hands and formed a ‘Samyukta Kisan Morcha’ to press the central government to scrap the three farm laws.

The protest has the support of over 500 farmers’ organisations.

A seven-member committee has also been formed to coordinate the operations of the Morcha.

Farmers have expressed apprehension that the new laws would pave the way for the dismantling of the minimum support price system, leaving them at the “mercy” of big corporates. They have been demanding that the laws be repealed.

Also read: Three Farm Bills and India’s Rural Economy

The ‘Delhi Chalo’ rally

The Haryana Police is looking to seal its borders to prevent farmers from marching towards the national capital, and has put in place traffic diversions on four major national highways leading to Delhi, the Hindustan Times reported. Traffic will be diverted or blocked on Ambala-Delhi, Hisar-Delhi, Rewari-Delhi and Palwal-Delhi national highways on November 25, 26 and 27. In Punjab, entry from the districts of Panchkula, Ambala, Kaithal, Jind, Fatehabad and Sirsa will also be blocked, the report said.

Haryana has imposed section 144 of the CrPC to prevent the assembly of protesters.

Haryana farmers said that they will be helping Punjab farmers at all the 10 border entry points from where jathas will enter Haryana, Indian Express said in a report.

Punjab farmers have reached the state’s borders with Haryana to make arrangements of langar for the group of farmers who will be heading towards Delhi, and farmers in the neighbouring areas of Haryana are reaching out to their counterparts in Punjab to help them with milk supplies, vegetables, the report added.

The Delhi rally is expected to witness at least one lakh farmers to be coming only from Punjab, 50,000 from Haryana, and another two lakh from surrounding states like western Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. There will be cavalcades of farmers moving from all corners of the country emerging into Delhi.

AIKSCC leader Avik Saha told The Wire, “The Delhi Police is acting as an agent of the central government which is trying to destabilise and discredit the farmers’ movement. If the central government can call farmers for meeting to Delhi, it can also allow the farmers to protest. The central government are clearly scared of images that lakhs of farmers are coming to Delhi to protest.”

They had applied for police permission for Ramlila Maidan for accommodation of the farmers, and Parliament Street as the protest venue.

(With inputs from PTI)