New Delhi:
Delhi is bracing for a second bout of traffic snarls this week as protesting farmers plan “Dilli Chalo” march from Shambhu border. Prohibitory orders banning large gatherings were imposed in Haryana’s Ambala this evening.
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The foot march to the Parliament building Delhi is expected to begin at 1 pm tomorrow from the Shambhu border protest site.
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This would be the second footmarch planned this week. On Monday, farmers from Uttar Pradesh attempted a march to Parliament. They were stopped in Noida, but the march caused massive traffic snarls on both sides of the border.
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The farmers have gathered under the banner of Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political), seeking legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price of crops, among other things.
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Besides MSP, they are demanding farm debt waiver, pension for them and their labourers, no hike in electricity tariff, withdrawal of police cases and “justice” for the victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence.
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They have been camping at Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana since February 13 after their march to Delhi was stopped by security forces.
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The prohibitory orders, which ban the gathering of four and more people, automatically bars any procession on foot, vehicles, or other modes.
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Central paramilitary forces have been deployed on the Haryana side of the border along with multi-layer barricading. Senior police officers have reached the border to assess the security situation.
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In a hearing earlier this week, the Supreme Court said while peaceful protest is a democratic right, farmers should not obstruct highways and cause inconvenience to the people.
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“In a democratic setup, you can engage in peaceful protests but do not cause inconvenience to people. You all know that the Khanauri border is a lifeline for Punjab. We are not commenting on whether the protest is right or wrong,” said a benh of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan.
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On February 21, Shubhkaran Singh, a farmer from Punjab, died during a clash at Khanauri border when protesters tried to march towards Delhi. Teargas shells were also lobbed by the security forces.
