A ‘jatha’ of 101 farmers on Friday began their foot march to Delhi from their protest site at Shambhu border at 1 pm, but was stopped a few metres away by a multilayered barricading. Haryana security personnel lobbed tear gas shells to disperse them as they reached near the multi-layered barricades erected there. Multiple rounds of teargas shells were fired at the protesting farmers to force them to go back.
Farmers called for legal assurances on MSP, as well as other demands, including farm debt waivers and justice for the victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence, on Friday suspended their foot march to Delhi for the day after a few of them suffered injuries due to teargas shells lobbed by security personnel.
According to leaders of the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, four members of their group have been injured so far. The injured include Surjeet Singh Phul, president of BKU Krantikari, a 28-year-old farmer Harpreet Singh, and two others. Despite the action, the farmers have refused to retreat. “We will not move back. Tomorrow, 100 more will come,” farmer leader Sarwan Singh said. “We have called back the ‘jatha’ for today in view of the injuries suffered by a few farmers,” farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher added at the Shambhu border.
