Farmers march to Delhi: Here is why they are protesting
Farmers have been camping at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana since February 13, after their march to Delhi was stopped by security forces. On December 6 a jatha of 101 farmers will march towards Delhi.
Delhi's borders with neighbouring Uttar Pradesh and Haryana have been fortified as the national capital braces for yet another protest march by farmers. Under the banners of Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) and Samyukta Kisan Morcha, farmers from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Punjab are set to start their march to Delhi on Friday, December 6.
#WATCH | Haryana: Police barricade the Ambala-Delhi border in view of the Delhi March announced by farmers today, December 6.
¡ª ANI (@ANI) December 5, 2024
The farmers will leave from Shambhu Border for Delhi today at 1 pm. pic.twitter.com/CoUsZPZpmG
101 farmers to march to Delhi
According to farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher, a jatha of 101 farmers will march towards Delhi from the Shambhu Border at 1:00 pm on Friday.
VIDEO | "What we have come to know, DC Ambala has misled the country saying that 10,000-15,000 farmers will gather at Shambhu Border and march towards Delhi. We have no such plan and have already announced that we will go in groups. We have also announced that 101 people will go,¡ pic.twitter.com/2iiFrVRoEj
¡ª Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 5, 2024
Section 163 imposed in Ambala
Keeping this in mind, the Ambala district administration has issued an order under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), restricting any unlawful assembly of five or more persons in the district.
#WATCH | Visuals from the Shambhu border, from where the farmers will start their march towards Delhi at 1 pm today. pic.twitter.com/DgWL8zWN9W
¡ª ANI (@ANI) December 6, 2024
According to the order issued by the Deputy Commissioner, taking out any procession on foot, vehicles, or other modes has been prohibited until further orders.
Farmers have been camping at Shambhu since Feb 13
The farmers have been camping at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana since February 13, after their march to Delhi was stopped by security forces.
Delhi's border with Uttar Pradesh has also been put under alert, though there are no reports of farmers attempting to enter the national capital from there.
Intensified Farmers' Protest in Noida as Barricades are Shattered Near Dalit Prerna Sthal!
¡ª Sneha Mordani (@snehamordani) December 2, 2024
A powerful rally including farmers from Gautam Buddh Nagar, Bulandshahr, and 20 other districts intensifies the movement. Police prepares for more unrest at the Delhi-Chilla Border.¡ pic.twitter.com/w39a8lohdk
Why are the farmers protesting
The farmers are marching to Delhi to press for their demands, including MSP for crops, farm debt waiver, pension for farmers and farm labourers, no hike in electricity tariff, withdrawal of police cases against farmers, and justice for the victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence.
They are also seeking the reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013, and compensation for the families of farmers who died during the 2020-21 agitation.
What government said
Meanwhile, on Thursday, Minister of State for Rural Development Kamlesh Paswan urged protesting farmers to hold talks with the government.
"I would urge them (farmers) that our Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is very accessible. Anyone who wants to discuss some issue, there can be no better place for discussion," he said.
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Bobins Abraham is the Assistant News Editor at Indiatimes. He has more than twelve years of experience in TV and digital journalism. An avid student of history and geopolitics, he is a conservationist and environmentalist at heart. He writes on environment, sustainability, human-animal conflict and more.
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