Farmers Protest Updates: Farmers Allowed To Enter Delhi And Protests In Burari

Senior Samajwadi Party leader Ram Govind Chaudhary on Saturday condemned the BJP for the treatment meted out to farmers during their march to Delhi and urged people to support them in their fight against the Centre's farm laws.

Chaudhary, who is the Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly, in a statement said farmers have been treated as enemies by the government, which is shameful and needed to be condemned.

He urged intellectuals, students, employees, labourers, and others to come forward and extend their support to farmers in their struggle.

This government is gradually handing over everything to corporate houses and has brought black laws on agriculture, Chaudhary alleged.

Agitating farmers have been allowed to enter Delhi and hold protests after an elongated standoff between the police forces and protestors at the Haryana border.

“We have been allowed safe passage to Delhi,” said Krantikari Kisan Union president Darshan Pal. He said that officials of the Union home ministry had allowed them a place at Burari in Delhi to hold agitation.

The farmers will be allowed to hold peaceful protests at thje Nirankari Samagam Ground in the Burari area, the Delhi Police Commissioner said, according to ANI.

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh welcomed the decision and urged the central government to hold immediate talks with the farmers and resolve their concerns.

The AAP government on Friday denied permission to the Delhi Police to convert the city's stadiums into temporary jails as farmers continued to push towards the national capital on their 'Delhi Chalo' march against the Centre's farm laws.

The Delhi Police used tear gas at the Singhu and Tikri borders to disperse protesting farmers as they tried to enter the national capital on Friday morning. While rejecting the Delhi Police's request, Delhi Home Minister Satyendar Jain said that every Indian citizen has the constitutional right to protest peacefully for which they cannot be put in jails.

In a letter to the principal home secretary, Jain said that the central government should accept the demands of the protesters, adding that putting farmers in jails is not the solution.

The Delhi Police have sought permission from the Aam Aadmi Party government to use the city's nine stadiums as temporary jails due to the farmers' 'Delhi Chalo' march, government sources told PTI.

On Friday morning, the Delhi Police used tear gas at the Singhu Border to disperse protesting farmers who are heading towards the national capital as part of the march to protest the Centre's new farm laws.

There is a heavy police deployment of security personnel with sand-laden trucks and water cannons stationed, usage of barbed wire for fencing at the Singhu Border to prevent the protesters from entering the city.

Police said they will not allow the agitating farmers to enter Delhi.

Despite heavy security deployment, groups of farmers from Punjab managed to reach near two Delhi borders on Friday morning after breaking police barricades in Haryana as part of their protest march against the Centre's farm laws.

The Delhi Police had on Thursday enhanced deployment of security personnel, stationed sand-laden trucks and water cannons and used barbed wire for fencing at the Singhu border (Delhi-Haryana border) to prevent the protesters from entering the city. Police were also deployed on Delhi's border with Faridabad and Gurgaon.

However, two groups of farmers reached near the Singhu and Tikri borders as Delhi Police fired tear gas shells at them to prevent them from entering the city.

Delhi Metro services from neighbouring cities to the national capital will remain suspended on Friday in view of the ''Delhi chalo'' protest march by farmers against the Centre's new farm laws, officials said.

However, metro services will be available from Delhi towards the NCR sections, they said.

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Thursday lashed out at the BJP-led government in Haryana for stopping farmers from moving towards Delhi, saying the use of "brute force" against them is totally undemocratic and unconstitutional.

Farmers faced water cannons and broke police barriers at the state's border with Haryana as they pushed towards the national capital Thursday in their Delhi Chalo march against the Centre's farm laws.

At the Shambhu border, the Haryana Police and protesters in their tractor-trolleys faced each other off on a bridge over the Ghaggar River.

Police made announcements on loudspeakers to ask the farmers assembled on the Punjab side of the interstate border to disperse. As smoke from teargas shells clouded the air and security personnel milled around, people could be seen standing on top of trucks.

The Haryana Police had blocked the Amritsar-Delhi highway at this border point with trucks to stop the farmers' tractor-trolleys, some of them laden with food.

Farmers chucked some barricades into the river. They were also seen pushing the trucks.

A few protesters initially managed to cross the barricades on foot. Later, police eased the blockade, allowing the protesters and their tractors to proceed on the road to Delhi, 200 kilometers away.

But police barricades were also set up at other points on the highway as it passes through BJP-run Haryana. At Karnal, there was another face-off with police.

"It is condemnable that Haryana Police is using such measures to suppress an assembly of peaceful protesters. We are protesting in a peaceful manner, but they want to prevent us from using our democratic right to protest," a Punjab farmer told reporters at Shambhu.

The Haryana Police had placed boulders, barricades and parked trucks at multiple border points with Punjab, the Congress-ruled state which is backing the farmers' cause. But most barricades were lifted a few hours later.

Apart from Shambhu, police used water cannons against protesters trying to enter Kaithal district, and at Khanauri border where farmers are protesting under the banner of Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta-Ugarhan).

Union president Joginder Singh said they will hold a peaceful protest there for seven days.

Delhi Police personnel have been deployed in large numbers in the border areas of the national capital and all incoming vehicles were being checked in view of the 'Delhi Chalo' march by Punjab farmers against the Centre's farm laws.

Five sand-laden trucks have been stationed at Singhu border to stop tractors being driven by the protesters. Also, drones have been deployed for security purposes, the police told PTI.

While clarifying that the borders have not been sealed, officials said all pickets have been made active, while all vehicles entering the national capital were being checked.

It is absolutely wrong that farmers are being prevented from holding peaceful demonstrations against the Centre's new farm laws and water cannons are being used on them, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Thursday.

Haryana put up road barricades along its border with Punjab on Wednesday as farmers in the adjoining state amassed with their tractor-trailers for their "Delhi Chalo" march to protest against the laws. Water cannons were used at least twice to disperse them and stop them from going to Delhi.

Taking to Twitter, the Delhi chief minister said peaceful demonstration was a constitutional right of the farmers.

"All the three farming bills of the central government are anti-farmer. Instead of withdrawing them, farmers are being prevented from holding peaceful demonstrations, water canons are being used on them. This is absolutely wrong. Peaceful demonstrations are their constitutional right," he said in a tweet in Hindi.

Haryana completely sealed its borders with Punjab as farmers from the neighbouring state started assembling in large numbers as part of their 'Delhi Chalo' march to protest the Centre's new farm laws.

There was heavy deployment of Haryana police on the borders with Punjab, officials told PTI.

The Haryana Police in adequate strength has also been deployed along the state's borders with Delhi, they said.

The Bharatiya Janata Party government in Haryana had said that it would seal its borders with Punjab on Nov. 26-27 in view of the farmers' march to Delhi.

Delhi metro services to neighbouring cities of the national capital will remain suspended till 2 p.m. on Thursday in view of a planned protest march by farmers against the Centre's new farm laws.

• The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation said no metro services will be available from Anand Vihar to Vaishali and New Ashok Nagar to Noida City Centre during this period.
• The metro services will also be suspended between Sultanpur and Guru Dronacharya metro stations.
• However, regular metro services will remain available in the entire section of Airport and Rapid Metro lines during the period.

"After 2 p.m. on Thursday, train services will resume on all lines from end to end without loops regularly," it added.

Delhi Police on Wednesday asserted it has rejected requests received from various farmer organisations to protest in the national capital against the Centre's new farm laws on Nov. 26 and 27.

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

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