1 farmer hurt after clashes with police

Police lobbed tear gas shells and used water cannon to stop hundreds of farmers who allegedly broke police barricades at Masani village near Dharuhera on Delhi-Jaipur highway on Sunday, in an attempt to move towards Gurugram and Delhi.

At least one farmer has been injured, according to the initial reports from the spot.

Haryana Police said more than 20 tractors and hundreds of farmers tried to force their way across the Rajasthan-Haryana border but they stopped later as police held back their counterparts. The protesters also stopped due to ongoing rain.

Rajesh Kumar, deputy superintendent of Bawal, said farmers broke police barricades and tried to move towards Delhi. “Police had to use tear gas and water cannons to stop the protesters. They shouted slogans and forcefully tried to cross the barricades and we had to take the steps to stop them,” he said.

Farmers alleged that the police fired shells indiscriminately and it could have triggered a blast in the LPG cylinders they were carrying for cooking.

Last month, over a thousand farmers from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Haryana reached Jaisinghpur Khera and joined the agitation. The protesting farmers had earlier announced that they would start moving towards Delhi on Monday.

Satnarayan Nehra, president of Nehra Khap of Haryana, said due to rains the volume of protesters was low on Sunday. “Our plan to move to Delhi failed but we will try late Sunday night as farmers from nearby areas are gathering at Kheda border,” he said.

On Sunday around 4pm, 20 tractors and hundreds of farmers crossed the Kheda border and reached Sangwari Chowk which is 20 kilometres ahead of the protest site. “Rajasthan Police allowed us to cross but Haryana Police is not cooperating. Many farmers have been camping since December 12 and are not well but they are not willing to return home,” said Rashid Ahmed, a protester from Nuh.

The community leaders have requested the police to let them cross the stretch peacefully and have tried to pacify the protesters.

Last Thursday, farmers had entered Shahjahanpur and reached Rewari on the Delhi-Jaipur highway, crossing the Shahjahanpur interstate border in Rajasthan, as the police were not letting them enter Haryana.