Tear gas fired at protesting farmers marching to Delhi
What's the story
Farmers marching toward Delhi under the "Dilli Chalo" march were greeted with tear gas at the Shambhu border on the Haryana-Punjab line.
The protesters are demanding a legal guarantee of Minimum Support Price (MSP), debt waivers, and protection from hiked power tariffs.
The farmers have been camping at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders since February 13 after earlier attempts to march to Delhi were stopped by security forces.
Protest escalation
Farmers clash with police, services suspended
The protest witnessed over 100 farmers breaching multi-layered police barricades on National Highway 44.
As the situation escalated, mobile internet services were suspended in Ambala till December 9, and gatherings of five or more people were prohibited.
The farmers resumed their march after camping at the Shambhu border, breaching one layer of barricading before being stopped by concrete blocks and heavy security.
Twitter Post
Tear gas used to disperse protesting farmers
#WATCH | Police use tear gas to disperse protesting farmers at the Haryana-Punjab Shambhu Border.
— ANI (@ANI) December 6, 2024
The farmers have announced to march towards the National Capital-Delhi over their various demands. pic.twitter.com/CMon3JDg3I
Security response
Security measures intensified, internet services cut
In the wake of the breach, Haryana Police added more barricades, and security was tightened with paramilitary forces and drones deployed.
Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher stressed their march would be peaceful despite accusations of carrying weapons.
Union Minister Bhagirath Choudhary said the government is open to talks with farmers and urged them to discuss their issues instead of marching to Delhi.
Political fallout
Political tensions rise amid farmer protests
In Parliament, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the government was committed to buying produce at MSP, saying, "This is the Modi government and (we will) fulfill Modi's guarantee."
The demand for legal backing for MSPs, which refer to a price set by the government to safeguard farmers from a sharp drop in crop prices, has been a central demand of protests that began in 2020.
But since MSPs have no legal backing, the farmers are demanding that be changed.