Farmers March Towards Delhi Amid Heavy Police Deployment

Farmers of various unions who have joined the ongoing protest started marching towards the national capital on Wednesday. Delhi Police have been heavily deployed at the borders and as of now they are guarding them to ensure the maintenance of law and order amid the protestors’ ‘Delhi Chalo’ call.

Massive Deployment Of Security

A massive deployment of police and paramilitary personnel have been put on duty besides multi-layered barricading. All necessary precautions have been taken to seal the national capital borders at Singhu, Ghazipur, and Tikri. Central Delhi that has several high-profile buildings and establishments has been put under a heavy security cover. There are personnel in anti-riot gears deployed strategically. Metal and concrete barricades have been installed to regulate access to several key roads.

The Delhi Metro yesterday regulated passengers’ entry and exit at nine stations as some gates were shut for several hours in view of the farmers’ protest march towards the national capital.

There are reports of police deploying tear gas to halt thousands of farmers demanding minimum crop prices from advancing towards the capital New Delhi following unsuccessful negotiations with the government. Thick clouds of tear gas were dispersed to scatter protesters at the Shambhu border near Ambala, sat approximately 200 kilometers north of the capital. Police used drones to drop tear gas canisters on the protestors from the air.

A state of high alert has been declared in Punjab, with approximately 70% of the entire state police force instructed to remain on duty in the field.

Why Are Farmers Protesting Again?

Here’s a brief roundup of the ongoing farmers’ protest:

• The farmers are staging a large-scale protest so the Centre acknowledges some of their demands that was promised to be looked into in 2021 during the previous protest that carried on for roughly a year.
• They are calling for legislation to ensure a minimum support price (MSP), a requirement they had stipulated in 2021 when they consented to end their protest against the now-repealed farm laws.
• The farmers are also pressing for the enforcement of the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations, pensions for farmers and agricultural workers, as well as the forgiveness of farm debts.