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Farmers with tractors arrive at Haryana border for Republic Day rally
Farmers with tractors from areas such as Nuh, Rewari, Gurugram, Jhajjar, Rohtak and parts of Rajasthan started gathering at the protest sites on the Haryana-Rjasthan border on Tuesday morning, ahead of Republic Day, when the protesters plan to hold a tractor rally in Delhi
Farmers with tractors from areas such as Nuh, Rewari, Gurugram, Jhajjar, Rohtak and parts of Rajasthan started gathering at the protest sites on the Haryana-Rjasthan border on Tuesday morning, ahead of Republic Day, when the protesters plan to hold a tractor rally in Delhi.
Protestors said they have conducted reconnaissance of the neighbouring villages from where they can move towards Delhi through fields without running into police barricades.
Satnarayan Nehra, the president of Nehra Khap of Haryana, said, “We have identified 20 such stretches from where we can cross the borders without running into the police. These routes, however, are more time-consuming. Since the police will not allow us to enter Delhi via the Delhi-Jaipur Expressway, we have identified routes that will enable us to cross the border,” he said.
Nehra added that the heads of the neighbouring villages are supporting the protestors, sometimes even financially. Many farmers who cannot afford to leave their fields have sent their wives and children to take part in the protest and join the tractor rally on Republic Day.
Rashid Ahmed, a protestor from Nuh, said that they have been part of the protest since December 12 and will try to bring at least 1,000 tractors for the rally in Delhi. At least 20 tractors have already reached the Masani village near Dharuhera on Delhi-Jaipur highway. “We are approaching all the farmers of our area to join the tractor rally to show our strength. The government is unwilling to take our issue seriously and waiting for us to call off the protest. However, we will carry on the protest even if it takes another six months,” he said.
Protestors are expecting a total of 3,000 tractors to take part in the rally and have formed teams of at least 15 people who are visiting nearby villages every day.
The police said they are well prepared to control the law and order situation. Rajesh Kumar, deputy superintendent of Bawal, said that farmers at Sangwari Chowk broke the police barricades once and tried to move towards Delhi. However, they did not succeed. “We will take all the necessary steps to stop them. If required, we will use water cannons and tear gas to control the protesters. Extra forces have been deployed at all the stretches connecting the district and the state,” he said.
