CHANDIGARH: A ‘jatha’ of 101 farmers will embark on a foot march to Delhi at 1 pm on Friday from the Shambhu border protest site, farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said on Thursday.
However, 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.
According to the order issued by the deputy commissioner, taking out any procession on foot, vehicles, or other modes has been prohibited till further orders.
The police in Ambala also sounded an alert on Thursday over the farmers’ plan to march to Delhi, and sent senior officers to the border to assess the security situation there.
Central paramilitary forces have also been deployed on the Haryana side of the border along with multi-layer barricading.
The Ambala district administration on Wednesday asked the farmers to reconsider their march and contemplate any action only after obtaining permission from Delhi Police.
Meanwhile, addressing a press conference at Shambhu border on Thursday, Pandher said, “The jatha will march towards Delhi (on Friday). What the government will do is for them to decide. We will begin our march towards Delhi at 1 pm from the Shambhu border.”
He also said if the government stops them from carrying out their march, it will be a “moral victory” for the farmers.
“Their leaders at the Centre and in states have been regularly saying that if the farmers do not bring tractor-trolleys, there should be no objection. So if we go to Delhi on foot, there should be no reason to stop the farmers,” he said.
The farmers gathered under the banner of Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha earlier announced a foot march to the national capital seeking legal guarantee for minimum support price of crops, among several other demands.
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.
Invoking Section 163 of the BNSS, the Ambala deputy commissioner-cum-district magistrate in an order dated November 30 prohibited unlawful assembly of five or more persons, and taking out any procession on foot, vehicles or through any other mode.
“It is apprehended that a large number of protesters are likely to come from Punjab and Haryana and assemble at Shambu border to move towards Delhi. Hence, appropriate steps need to be taken at the border points and within the district, including issuance of prohibitory orders under Section 163 of BNSS so as not to allow movement of any such person without prior permission,” the order read.
“Any individual or group on foot or vehicles which can be used to damage public/private property and/or to confront law enforcement agencies, thereby creating hindrance in maintaining peace and public order, has been prohibited,” it added.
The order shall not apply on police and other public servants on duty for maintaining law and order, it added.
“This order shall come into force from 30.11.2024 and continue till further order,” it said.
“There are inputs that the agitators may gherao Parliament or camp permanently on the national highways leading to the national capital territory,” the order read, adding that the agitators have not obtained any permission under Section 69 of Haryana Police Act.
Talking to reporters in Ambala on Thursday, Superintendent of Police Surinder Singh Bhoria appealed to all the farmers to maintain peace, and obtain permission to march to Delhi.
“I want to assure all that the district police have made adequate arrangements to maintain law and order,” he said.
When told that farmer leaders have said that 101 of them will march to Delhi in a peaceful manner, Bhoria said, “As I have told you, it is our collective responsibility to follow the law. Whatever may be the provisions of law, they should be followed.”
Pnadher, on his part, told reporters, “This does not look like a Punjab-Haryana border, but an international territory. If they (authorities) have their way, they will not even allow a bird to cross the border. They are treating us like we are enemies from some other country, whereas we are citizens of this land who want to peacefully march to the national capital to press our demands.”
“The first jatha which will leave from Shambhu border has been named ‘Marjeevda Jatha’. It will consist of 101 farmers who will march to Delhi on foot from Shambhu border,” Pandher said.
Referring to a recent meeting between a farmers’ delegation and Ambala SP, Pandher said, “A proposal for talks came from the government side to which we said the farmers are open to a dialogue only if the proposal comes from either the Centre or the chief minister’s office in Haryana or Punjab.”
Replying to a query, Pandher said after the first ‘jatha’, other ‘jathas’ will also move towards the national capital in subsequent days.
To another question, he said if the Haryana government uses force to stop the first ‘jatha’ of 101 farmers from marching towards Delhi, “it will only expose the government”.
“If they have deployed Central forces, drones or are testing water cannons, it shows their intent is to stop us,” he added.
“Tomorrow Guru Teg Bahadur Ji’s martyrdom day will be observed at both Shambhu and Khanauri border points. The jatha will be dedicated to the martyrdom of Guru Teg Bahadur Ji,” Pandher said.
Earlier on Thursday, Punjab DIG (Patiala Range) Mandeep Singh Sidhu and SSP (Patiala) Nanak Singh met Pandher and Surjit Singh Phul at the Shambhu border.
Sidhu said the farmers have assured the police that they will maintain peace and not involve tractor-trolleys in the march.
The farmer leaders had earlier announced that the first ‘jatha’ of farmers would be led by Satnam Singh Pannu, Surinder Sinhgh Chautala, Surjit Singh Phul, and Baljinder Singh.
Meanwhile, SKM leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal continued his fast-unto-death at the Khanauri border point on Thursday.
Besides MSP, the farmers are also demanding 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.
Reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013, and compensation to the families of farmers who died during the previous agitation in 2020-21 are also part of their demands.
