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Farmers brave water cannons, tear gas, push through Haryana barricades
In the evening, the farmers had reached the Panipat toll plaza and decided to stay there for the night.
Farmers removed barricades and made their way through trucks parked on the bridge near Karna Lake, 5km from Karnal town, to resume their Delhi Chalo march despite Haryana police using tear gas and water cannons to stall their progress on Thursday.
The Karnal administration had blocked a 15km stretch on national highway 44 towards Tarori town by putting up barricades and parking trucks. Traffic was diverted on the link roads, causing inconvenience to commuters who remained stranded on one of the busiest highways for several hours.
However, in a short while, the farmers crossed this hurdle too and made their way through trucks parked on the bridge to resume their Delhi Chalo march. Police also tried to stop them at Bastara toll plaza near Gharaunda but were unsuccessful.
Deputy commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav said, “We will take action against farmers who removed the barricades and violated prohibitory orders.”
Farmers from Punjab, belonging to various groups and organisations, also entered Haryana through Shambhu border on the NH-44 and from Sadopur/Lalru border on the NH-152.
Police also used water cannons and tear gas shells to disperse protesting farmers as they tried to break through barricades at Sadopur border in Ambala. At the Shambhu border, angry farmers threw stones at security forces deployed to control the crowd.
Police had erected several cemented and iron barricades at the overbridge on Ghaggar river connecting Ambala and Patiala. However, several of the iron barricades were thrown into the river by farmers.
After the agitators broke barricades on the Shambhu border, tear gas shells were fired by the RAF from a terrace where a few journalists were also present. The situation turned tense as agitators hurled back stones and sticks.
“Haryana is our younger brother and we just want to reach Delhi from here. More than 500 farmer bodies from the entire country are gathering at Jantar Mantar against the black laws. They (police/government) can fool us but can’t stop us. Their water cannons have gone vacant but farmers are adament to move forward,” said a veteran farmer leader at Sadopur border.
The cavalcade continued to cross the border for nearly two to three hours as a few of them even raised pro-khalistan slogans while entering Haryana.
Ambala superintendent of police (SP) Rajesh Kalia said, “They were allowed to enter as some of them got furious. We sent a few ahead and stopped them again twice but ultimately all farmers were allowed to enter the state.”
Deputy commissioner Ashok Kumar Sharma said the administration has made sufficient arrangements to avoid any law and order situation.
Farmers from Punjab were also stopped by the Haryana police near Tatiyana village of Kaithal district and later near Padla village. Water cannons and tear gas was used to stop them, however, they crossed the barricades to continue their march.
Night halt at Panipat toll plaza
In the evening, the farmers had reached the Panipat toll plaza and decided to stay there for the night. Sources say police will try to stop them near Karhans village, about 20km from the toll plaza on Friday morning.
Rakesh Bains, in-charge of Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU Charuni) media cell, said, “The night halt will be at the Panipat toll plaza and we will launch the protest on Friday morning.”
Farmers from Punjab, who have also crossed the state border at Ambala have reached Kurukshetra district. They are likely to join Haryana farmers at the Panipat toll plaza late night to resume their march to Delhi in the morning.
Jams leave commuters high and dry
Thousands of vehicles, especially trucks and buses, remained stranded on national highway-44 as the police blocked a stretch of 15km near Karnal and diverted traffic from the highway that connects Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir with the national capital.
Traffic was diverted on the Ramba-Indri-Karnal link road. “We have been stuck for the past 15 hours and don’t know how long will it take for us to get moving,” said Satpal Singh, a truck driver headed for Ludhiana.
A family from Ludhiana with four kids had to struggle to enter Ambala. Akhilesh Kumar, a factory worker, said, “The bus dropped us several kilometers before the border. We have to carry heavy luggage till the border but were stuck due to protests and missed our Delhi-bound train from Ambala Cantonment.”
BKU Ugrahan begins indefinite dharna at Datta Singhwala village
Police had also installed barricades and used water cannons on the Haryana-Punjab border at Jind’s Datta Singhwala village and Ratia in Fatehabad. Here too, the farmers managed to break the barricades and enter Haryana.
Farmers from Punjab, who had entered through the Jind border, have begun an agitation there. However, the other group of farmers, who entered from Ratia were marching towards Hisar till the filing of this report.
At Datta Singhwala village, some miscreants also threw stones on police and administration vehicles even as the farmers asked them to refrain from doing so.
Joginder Singh Ugrahan, BKU Ugrahan, chief, said they will start a peaceful agitation at Datta Singhwala village in Jind. “We will move forward only if the Haryana police will allow us. We have started an indefinite dharna here against these black laws,” he said.
However, the other faction, which had entered through the Ratia border, said they are marching towards Delhi via Hisar. “We will dismantle all the barricades used by the Haryana government. We are fighting against the Union government but we were shocked by the response of the Haryana government. Chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar is making all efforts to stop us from reaching Delhi but his police won’t be successful,” the farmers said.
The third group of Punjab farmers has gathered on the Dabwali-Bathinda border and heavy police force has been deployed to stop their entry in Haryana.
Hisar deputy commissioner Priyanka Soni and superintendent of police Balwan Rana reached Surewala chowk where security has been tightened to restrict the entry of farmers coming from the Ratia border.
Meanwhile, police detained some farmers who were marching towards Delhi from Bhiwani, Hisar and Jind districts. They have been lodged at various police stations. However, others from Rohtak and Sonepat continued their march to reach Panipat to join farmers led by Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU Charuni) chief Gurnam Singh Charuni.
Akhil Bharatiya Kisan Sabha state chief Phool Singh Sheokand said police had arrested him along with other farmers in Jind while they were on their way to join the march.
Haryana police had also sealed Sonepat-Delhi and Bahadugarh –Delhi borders to restrict the entry of farmers.
Jind deputy commissioner Aditya Dahiya said a few miscreants had broken barricades and hurled stones on police vehicles. “The police force managed the situation peacefully and we have used barricades at four other places in the district. We have sought cooperation from the Sangrur administration,” the DC added.
Farmers make way for ambulance
As the traffic movement was halted on the Haryana-Punjab borders, a few farmers removed heavy barricades on the highway in Ambala to make way for an ambulance stuck for about 20 minutes.
Farmers on the Punjab side pulled the iron barricades and pushed them into the Ghagger river. Later, the cemented blocks tied with chains were pushed aside to make way for the Punjab-bound ambulance that was ferrying a patient and attendants.
A farmer said, “This is our duty and the fight is against farm laws not the public.”
