Farmers tear-gassed after offering tea, flower shower; several hurt

Agitating farmers suspended their foot march to Delhi on Sunday after some of them sustained injuries in teargas shelling by Haryana security personnel who thwarted yet another attempt by the protesters to cross the Punjab-Haryana border.

Farmer leaders said they would decide the next course of action on Monday.

After a group of 101 farmers resumed the foot march this afternoon, they were halted by a multilayered barricade set up by Haryana security personnel who surprised the protesters by offering them tea and biscuits and showering them with flower petals.

But the protesters claimed it was all a "drama" as the police soon lobbed teargas shells and used water jets to disperse them when they insisted on crossing the Shambhu border.

As the confrontation escalated, the farmers, many of whom had covered their faces and were wearing protective eyewear, receded a few metres. Some tried to cover the teargas shells with wet jute bags.

On Friday too, the protesters had suspended their march after some of them suffered injuries due to tear gas shells, and farmer leaders had accused Haryana Police of high-handedness.

An official statement on Sunday evening said the administration kept appealing to the protesting farmers to reveal their identities but there were some "aggressive people" in the group who repeatedly tried to bring down the police barricades by using ropes and iron hooks, while no responsible farmer leader was seen.

Ambala police had earlier said the farmer outfits, which are agitating for a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price and other demands, can march to Delhi only after getting permission from the national capital administration.

The protesters, referred to as 'marjeevras' (individuals willing to die for a cause), were stopped just a few meters into their march, leading to a standoff that continued for over three hours, after which they called off their march for the day due to the police action.

In the evening, Punjab farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher told reporters that six farmers were injured and one of them was rushed to the Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh.

He said farmers would decide their next course of action in a meeting of their forums -- the Samyuka Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha -- on Monday.

"We have called back the 'jatha' (group of 101 farmers)," he told reporters in Shambhu.

"Whatever happened today was seen by the whole country," said Pandher, condemning the use of teargas against farmers.

"The (Haryana) administration used tactics like offering biscuits, 'langar', showering flower petals. Immediately after showering flowers, they (Haryana security personnel) fired teargas shells and rubber bullets at farmers," he claimed.

The protesting farmers have been pressing the Centre to initiate talks with them to address their issues.

As the protesters reached the barricades on Sunday, a few police personnel climbed the roof of a tin shed, where security personnel have been stationed, and threw flower petals on a group of farmers.

Farmer leader Baldev Singh Zira, who led the 'jatha' on Sunday, said it was a "drama" by Haryana Police. "Along with tea, and biscuits, they fired teargas shells," he said, adding, "They have been exposed."

Zira said farmers were moving ahead in a peaceful manner and they were not carrying any weapon as he criticised the Haryana security personnel for using teargas against them.

Pandher said the farmers who sustained injuries included Resham Singh, who was referred to the PGIMER, Dilbagh Singh, Major Singh and Harbhajan Singh.

He claimed that mediapersons were stopped by the Punjab Police from reaching the protest site. He said that Haryana police had asked the Punjab Police to keep the media at least one km away from the protest site.

A Haryana security personnel was seen asking farmers to show permission to march to Delhi and questioned the identity of some of the protesters.

"First we will identify them to see whether they have any permission. We have got the list (of 101 farmers) but they are not those whose names are mentioned in the list. They are not giving their identities which means they are coming in the shape of a mob," he told reporters at the site.

A farmer said, "They are saying that our names were not on the list. We do not know which list they have. When we asked them whether they would allow us to move ahead after verifying our identities, they told us then we would have to show the permission."

Meanwhile, a meeting was held on Sunday evening in which the farmer leaders, Ambala deputy commissioner Parth Gupta, senior superintendent of police SS Bhoria and Punjab police deputy inspector general Mandeep Singh Sidhu and Patiala senior superintendent of police Nanak Singh participated.

DIG Sidhu said the talks were held in a positive atmosphere but refused to share any details regarding the meeting.

Ambala DC Parth Gupta said efforts were on to arrive at some solution.

Asked if the Centre is ready to hold talks with the protesting farmers, Gupta said, "Today the meeting was held at their (officers) level. We heard what the farmer leaders said and our effort is that whatever the issue is that should be resolved through talks."

"We will try to take this issue to the level where it can be resolved," he said.

After the meeting, Pandher reiterated that the farmers wanted the Centre to hold talks with them to resolve their issues and said they would take a call during a meeting of farmers on Monday.

Pandher said the Ambala district administration has sought time in the wake of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Panipat on Monday.

Haryana Police again accused the protesting farmers of creating a ruckus and trying to break the police barricading.

"The administration kept repeatedly appealing to the farmers to reveal their identities. Today, again some aggressive people were part of the group of farmers and they repeatedly tried their best to bring down the police barricades by using ropes with sharp iron hooks.

"Today again no responsible farmer leader was seen in this group. The police administration exercised restraint and repeatedly warned the farmers to stay back and not to disturb the law and order," said an official release.
Flowers were also showered on farmers, said police.

Pandher said their protest completed 300 days on Sunday.

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.

The Haryana police had earlier asked the farmers not to proceed with the march and cited a prohibitory order clamped by the Ambala administration under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) that bans unlawful assembly of five or more people in the district.

Pandher had on Saturday said farmers hadn't heard from the Centre on the matter.

Shortly before the farmers' march on Friday, the Haryana government suspended mobile internet and bulk SMS service in 11 villages of the Ambala district till December 9.

The farmers had earlier attempted to march towards Delhi on February 13 and February 21 but were stopped by security forces deployed at the border points.

Another farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal continued with his fast unto death, which entered the 13th day on Sunday, at the Khanauri border. Farmers claimed that Dallewal had lost 8 kg weight.

Besides MSP, the farmers are demanding a 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.