Cops step up vigil to prevent farmers from blocking Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway

The police are likely to resume checking at Gurugram’s borders with Delhi and other districts of Haryana on Friday, after groups of farmers continued to move towards

The police are likely to resume checking at Gurugram’s borders with Delhi and other districts of Haryana on Friday, after groups of farmers continued to move towards the city, in protest against the new farm laws. The police said that commuters travelling to and from Delhi might face congestion due to the checks.

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According to the police, the motive is to ensure that protesters do not block the expressway and warned of strict action against those who try to block the highway. The police also plan to check vehicles moving from wholesale markets as they suspect protesters, who had reached the city in private cars on Thursday, to use these vehicles to gather at one of the traffic junctions on the expressway.

The farmer leaders rejected a government proposal to amend the new agriculture laws on Wednesday, and announced they would intensify their agitation by blocking the Jaipur-Delhi and Delhi-Agra expressways by Saturday, and escalating it to a nationwide protest on December 14.

Astha Modi, the deputy commissioner of police (headquarters), said that they have diversion plans in place in case the expressway is blocked. “Our force is ready with multiple plans in case the farmers block any of the crossing or expressway,” she said.

More than 400 farmers from Rajasthan and Maharashtra, who had marched up to Ferozepur Jhirka in Nuh through Bharatpur in Rajasthan on Thursday, were not allowed to enter Gurugram, and have been camping at Palwal and parts of Rajasthan for the last two days, the police said.

The superintendent of police, Nuh, Narender Bijarniya, on Thursday, said that a group of farmers were allowed to meet their fellow farmers at the Palwal border. “The remaining farmers were sent back to Rajasthan and were not allowed to enter Nuh to reach Delhi. The situation has been peaceful and the protesters peacefully agreed to our terms,” he said.

Nuh Police has deployed nearly 900 personnel at their borders with Palwal, Faridabad, Gurugram and Rajasthan.

Gurugram Police had received information that farmers had gathered near Bharatpur and Behror in Rajasthan and were planning to march to the city to block the highway. The police said nearly 2,000 personnel have been deployed at key locations.

Nikita Gehlot, the deputy commissioner of police (Manesar), said that protesters are planning to walk towards the expressway through Manesar and Kherki Daula toll plaza, but they were diverted to Nuh. “We had set up barricades at all borders and special teams were deployed on the Kundli Manesar Palwal (KMP) Expressway but no one has reached so far. We are expecting farmers from other states, who are likely to block the national highway but the teams are deployed and have activated our secret informers. We will not let them disrupt the traffic,” she said.