On Saturday, farmers trying to march to Delhi faced tear gas and water cannons from security forces at the Shambhu border, which connects Punjab and Haryana. A group of 101 farmers began walking from their protest camp around noon. However, as they got closer to the barricades set up by Haryana security, they were stopped.
Some farmers were hurt by the tear gas and were taken to a nearby hospital in ambulances waiting at the site. Before this, Ambala’s Deputy Commissioner Parth Gupta and Superintendent of Police S.S. Bhoria spoke with the farmers for over 30 minutes. They asked the farmers to get permission from Delhi’s authorities before continuing their march, but the farmers insisted on moving forward and asked the security forces to let them go.
The farmers want a legal guarantee for the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for their crops and have raised other concerns. This was the third time they tried to get to Delhi. They had previously attempted to march on December 6 and December 8, but were stopped each time.
The farmers are protesting under the banners of Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha. They are calling for a guarantee on MSP and want the government to talk to them about their issues. The Ambala district administration has imposed restrictions under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which prevents gatherings of five or more people. The police have stated that the farmers can only march to Delhi with permission from the Delhi administration.
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