Six farmers were injured, one of them seriously, in tear-gas shelling by Haryana Police near Shambhu border on Friday afternoon, forcing the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) and Samyukt Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) (SKM-NP), which are spearheading the agitation, to call back the jatha (group) of 101 sent to march to Delhi.
Haryana security personnel lobbed multiple rounds of tear-gas shells to deter the protesters from proceeding towards Delhi and forcing them to beat a retreat.
Multi-layered barricades were also put in place on the Ghaggar bridge.
Some farmers suffered injuries and were taken to a hospital in ambulances, protesters said.
Earlier, Haryana Police had asked farmers not to proceed further, and cited prohibitory orders clamped under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). The Ambala district administration has banned any unlawful assembly of five or more persons in the district.
The farmers remained defiant for two hours and tried to force their way through the iron mesh put up by the security personnel on the bridge over the Ghaggar river.
Some of the farmers were seen uprooting iron nails and barbed wire from the road as they covered their faces with wet jute bags to avoid the smoke from tear-gas shells.
{{/usCountry}}Some of the farmers were seen uprooting iron nails and barbed wire from the road as they covered their faces with wet jute bags to avoid the smoke from tear-gas shells.
{{/usCountry}}Shortly before the farmers were to begin their march, the Haryana government suspended mobile internet services in 11 villages in Ambala district from December 6-9 as a precaution.
The farmers are marching to force the Centre into extending a legal guarantee for minimum support price for crops among other demands.