In pictures: Farmer groups vow to continue march towards Delhi

Police and agitating farmers clashed at several places along the Punjab-Haryana border. The farmers are agitating against the recently passed farm bills.

Farmers remained undeterred on Thursday and remained adamant that their march towards Delhi to protest the farm bills that were passed during the monsoon session in September.

Tear gas shells and water cannons were used to disperse farmers at Jhamari border, near Ambala. (Sant Arora/HT Photos)

Haryana police officials are currently stationed at the Haryana-Punjab border to prevent farmers from entering Haryana for their Delhi Chalo protest. The interstate border at Shambhu and Karnal witnessed clashes between agitating farmers and Haryana police officials.

Punjab farmers enter Haryana from Shambhu border.

At Shambhu, protesters and police officials clashed at a bridge over the Ghaggar river. Police officials lobbed tear gas shells and sprayed gusts of water at the protesting farmers. Punjab farmers despite the altercation were able to enter into Haryana through the Shambhu border. Farmers have also broken barricades at Jind and Karnal and have managed to enter Haryana.

Police at Ambala take positions to stop agitating farmers.

Punjab farmers have entered Haryana from Sadopur/Lalru border from the the Ambala-Chandigarh expressway.

BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan) activists at Doomwali barrier on Bathinda-Sirsa border hold peaceful protests under the leadership of union vice president Jhanda Singh Jethuke.

BKU president Gurnam Singh Charuni addressing farmers at Karna Lake on the outskirts of Karnal.

Leaders of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) have also been arrested by the Delhi Police. Senior SAD leader S. Parminder Singh Dhindsa along with S. Ranjit Singh Talwandi, S. Tejinder Pal Singh Sandhu, S. Amanvir Singh Cheri, S. Manpreet Singh Talwandi, S. Randhir Singh Samura, S. Satgur Singh Namol, S. Gogi Pannawalia and Paramjit Singh Pamma have been arrested by police while they were protesting at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. SAD, a long-time ally of the BJP, quit the NDA over the passage of farm bills.

Parminder Singh Dhindsa, SAD leader, was also arrested by police.

Chief ministers of Punjab and Delhi have attacked the Centre and Haryana government over the heavy deployment of police officials at border checkpoints in Haryana-Punjab and Delhi-Haryana border. Heavy security has been deployed at Rohtak-Jhajjar border, Singhu border (Delhi-Haryana border), Delhi-Gurugram and Delhi-Jammu highway near Karna Lake in Karnal.

Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singhon Thursday tweeted, “Why is @mlkhattar govt in Haryana stopping the farmers from moving to Delhi? The tyrannical use of brute force against peacefully protesting farmers is totally undemocratic & unconstitutional.”

He further said, “Why is Haryana govt provoking them by resorting to force? Don’t the farmers have the right to pass peacefully through a public highway?”

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal also criticised the Centre for not allowing farmers to participate in protests. He tweeted, “The three farm bills of the central government are anti-farmer. Instead of rolling back these bills, farmers are being stopped from staging peaceful protests. Water cannons are being used against them. This is injustice to the farmers. Peaceful protest is their constitutional right.”