Farmers suspend Delhi march after eight suffer injuries in police action

Police put barricades near Samnhu border to stop agitating farmers from marching towards Delhi. Pic/PTI

After a ‘jatha' (group) of 101 farmers resumed their foot march to Delhi Sunday afternoon from the Shambhu protest site on the Punjab-Haryana border, they were soon halted by a multilayered barricading erected by the Haryana security personnel.

Teargas shells were lobbed and water jets were shot through cannons to disperse the protesters after they reached the barricades.

The gas forced the farmers, many of whom had covered their faces and were wearing protective eyewear, to recede a few metres. Some tried to cover the shells with wet jute bags.

Farmer leader from Punjab Sarwan Singh Pandher said at least eight farmers were injured and one of them was rushed to the Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh.

Following this, farmers in the afternoon suspended their foot march to Delhi for the day. Pandher said their protest reached 300 days on Sunday, adding that they would decide their next course of action after a meeting of their forums - the Samyuka Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha.

Farmers under the banner of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha 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.

Ambala police had earlier said the farmers' outfits may march to Delhi only after getting permission from the national capital administration.

300
Days since farmers have been protesting

Jailed Noida farmers launch hunger strike

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) on Sunday said Greater Noida farmers, currently jailed, have gone on a hunger strike. "Farmers from Greater Noida, currently imprisoned in the District Jail of Gautam Buddha Nagar, have gone on a hunger strike to defend their rights and interests," SKM said in a statement. "These farmers were forcibly detained by the administration while peacefully protesting," SKM said. "The farmer detainees have refused to consume food. Although their strike is peaceful, it poses a significant risk to their health," it said. They said the farmers have long-pending demands, including the implementation of a new law that ensures 10 per cent land allotment. The farmers have also demanded addressing the Leaseback (Adadi) settlement issue and enforcement of the 2013 Land Acquisition law.

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