Farmers protest highlights: Tractor march in Haryana, dharnas outside BJP leaders' homes in Punjab

The Bhartiya Kisan Union (Charuni) on Saturday took out a tractor march in Haryana while BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) held dharnas outside residences of three senior BJP leaders in support of farmers protesting at the borders of Punjab over their various demands.

On the fifth day of their 'Delhi Chalo' march -- called by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha -- the farmers stayed put at the Shambhu and Khanauri points of the Punjab-Haryana border as they press the Centre to accept their demands, including a legal guarantee to minimum support price (MSP) for crops.

The farmers from Punjab began their march to Delhi on Tuesday but were stopped by security personnel at the Shambhu and Khanauri points of Punjab's border with Haryana. The protesters have stayed put at the two border points since then.

Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher on Friday accused the Centre of trying to "suppress" the voices of the protesters, claiming social media accounts of farmers and YouTubers have been suspended.

Protesting farmers have stayed put at Shambhu and Khanauri points on Punjab's border with Haryana for the fourth day after their 'Delhi Chalo' march to press the Centre for various demands, including a legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) for crops, was stopped by security forces which led to clashes.

Union ministers and farmer leaders met on February 8, 12 and 15 to discuss the farmer unions' demands but the talks remained inconclusive. The two sides will meet again on February 18 for a fourth round of talks.

Around 100 farmers from different farmers associations were arrested at Thanjavur Railway station on Saturday when they tried to stage a 'rail roko' protest in front of the Cholan Express.

The group was protesting the police action against the farmers' agitation in New Delhi.

Haryana Police on Friday fired tear gas shells to disperse protesting farmers when they moved towards the barricades at the Shambhu border near Ambala, a day after talks between Union ministers and farmer leaders remained inconclusive.

The fresh confrontation comes on the fourth day of the farmers' 'Delhi Chalo' march, called by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, to press the government to accept their demands, including a legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) for crops.

Amid the impasse, the Union ministers and farmer leaders will meet on February 18 for the fourth round of talks. The two sides met on February 8, 12 and 15 as well but those talks remained inconclusive.

Around 91 protesting farmers were booked under section 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) late on Friday night for allegedly running a tractor over a police personnel following a clash that erupted in Hanumangarh during the nationwide farmers' strike demanding for a law on minimum support price (MSP), said the police official familiar with the matter.

"The FIR named 21 identified leaders and also around 70 unidentified protesters under several charges including 307 (attempt to murder). Despite several alerts, they tried to break a three-layer-barricade which was set up in the area where a virtual programme of Prime Minister Narendra Modi organised by the state and central government was underway. When we tried to stop them, the protesters launched attack on us by breaking the barricades with their tractor which left many of us injured," said Vishnu Khatri, the DSP of Hanumnagrh Junction, adding that one of the tractors 'almost ran over the DSP Arvind Berar'.

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha have given a "Delhi Chalo" call to press the BJP-led Centre to accept their demands. Farmers from Punjab began their march to the national capital on Tuesday but were stopped by security personnel at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana.

The protesting farmers have been camping at the border points since the start of the March on Tuesday, February 13.

However, another trader at the market offered a more optimistic outlook, stating that there has been no immediate impact on vegetable prices so far.

More than 150 shotgun shooters are sweating over their participation in crucial national Olympic trials later this month in Patiala in the wake of the farmers' agitation and the restrictions imposed on inter-state travel.

The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) has convened two meetings but they have not yet altered the venue or the dates for the third selection trials because of several issues, including a "packed calendar" and the impending "announcement of the general elections".

The scores in the selection trials, to be held at the Moti Bagh Gun Club Ranges in Patiala from February 25 to March 2, "will be considered for selection of teams for Paris Olympic Games", an NRAI statement had said on January 22.

Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher on Saturday demanded that the Centre should bring an ordinance on giving a legal guarantee to MSP, a key demand of farmers currently camping at the Shambhu and the Khanauri points of the Punjab-Haryana border.

The demand comes a day before the fourth round of talks between farm leaders and Union ministers over their various demands.

Stating that the Centre has a right to take "political" decisions, Pandher said, "If it (Centre) brings an ordinance and it can bring it overnight, if it wants so. If the government wants resolution of farmers' protest, then it should bring out an ordinance with an immediate effect that it will enact a law on MSP, then discussion can proceed further."

Amid calls for a nationwide lockdown by farmers’ organisations on Friday, in Noida, the traffic movement was slow during the peak hours but did not witness any massive snarl, traffic officials said.

It was slow because of the restrictions on DND Flyway, Kalindi Kunj, and Chilla border, they explained. At Noida-Delhi borders, the Delhi traffic police had blocked two of the four lanes to check protesting farmers.

Industry body PHDCCI on Friday said it apprehends "severe hit" to trade and industry and loss of employment in the northern states from a lingering farmers' agitation which would result in economic losses of over ₹500 crore daily.

"A lingering agitation will cause ₹500 crores economic loss daily and will have an impact on Q4 Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) of northern states majorly Punjab, Haryana and Delhi," said Sanjeev Agrawal, President, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The industry body looks forward to an early resolution of the issues from both the government and the farmers, with a common consensus for the welfare of all in the country, he added.

The Sanyukta Kisan Morcha and the Tripura unit of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) on Friday called for protests in the state against the alleged security crackdown on agitating farmers amid their protests at various border points in the country.

The Sanyukta United Kisan Morcha and CITU in Tripura condemned the alleged tear gas shelling and caning of farmers amid the standoff between the protestors on the Punjab-Haryana, Delhi-Ghaziabad borders.

A protest programme was organised in various sub-divisions of Tripura, condemning the resistance of the security forces at the border points.

Vegetable prices in Delhi could be headed for a rise as farmers' protests disrupt supply chains, according to a trader at Ghazipur Mandi as the farmers' protests continued for the fifth day.

A trader reported a ₹4 increase in carrot prices over the past 15 days due to supply issues from Punjab. He expressed concern that further disruptions caused by the ongoing protests could lead to price hikes for other vegetables as well.

The vegetable trader at Ghazipur mandi said, "The price of carrots has gone up by ₹4 in the last 15 days after supply from Punjab was disrupted following farmers' protest. This could lead to a rise in the price of vegetables. This issue between the farmers and the government should end soon."

Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher on Saturday demanded that the Centre should bring an ordinance on giving a legal guarantee to MSP, a key demand of farmers currently camping at the Shambhu and the Khanauri points of the Punjab-Haryana border.

The demand comes a day before the fourth round of talks between farm leaders and Union ministers over their various demands.

"If it (Centre) brings out an ordinance, it can bring it overnight, if it wants to. If the government wants a resolution of the farmers' protest, then it should bring an ordinance with immediate effect that it will enact a law on MSP, then discussions can proceed further," Pandher told reporters at the Shambhu border.

A 78-year-old farmer, who was protesting at the Shambhu border, died of a cardiac arrest on Friday morning. The farmer, who has been identified as Gyan Singh of Chachoke village of Gurdaspur district, breathed his last at Government Rajindra Hospital, Patiala.

Commuters in Punjab faced inconvenience on Friday as buses stayed off the roads in response to the Samyukta Kisan Morcha’s (SKM) Bharat Bandh call to pressurise the central government to accept farmers’ demands, including a legal guarantee of the minimum support price (MSP).

A section of Kashmir-based farmers and trade union leaders who had gathered at the Lal Chowk to lend their support to the Bharat Bandh call were detained by police ahead of their planned protest. Officials and eyewitnesses said protesters were gathering in the city centre to support the demand of guaranteed minimum support price for crops, which has resulted in widespread protests in the region of Punjab and Haryana, when police detained many near Pratap Park and took them to Kothibagh police station.

Amidst the ongoing farmers' protest in Delhi, Union Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda on Friday said that efforts to find a solution continue and the next round of talks with farmers will take place on Sunday.

The third round of talks with the central government ended on Thursday, amid the standoff between the protestors and security personnel on the Punjab-Haryana border.

"This was the third meeting between the farmers and the government. Several issues and topics were raised and discussed. We will surely reach a conclusion if we will carry forward the talks peacefully. I am hopeful that we will soon find a solution. Another meeting with the farmers will be held on Sunday. We will discuss things in that meeting and will find a solution," the Union Minister said.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government and described the government as a 'curse' for the country's farmers.

Kharge also accused the government of treating farmers like enemies. Kharge asserted that only the Congress party can provide farmers with the legal right to a Minimum Support Price (MSP).

"The Modi government is a curse for the country's food-providing farmers. Due to the continuous false 'Modi's Guarantee', the first 750 farmers lost their lives and now, yesterday, 1 farmer has been martyred and 3 have lost their eyesight due to rubber bullets. The Modi government has treated farmers like enemies, Only Congress will give them the legal right of MSP!" he said in a post on 'X'.

Members of the Punjab and Chandigarh Pradesh Congress Committees on Friday staged a protest outside the Haryana Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) office in Sector 3, over the “suppression of the farmers’ peaceful protest”. Around 50 protesters, who were demanding the arrest of Haryana home minister Anil Vij, were detained and taken to the Sector 11 police station. They were released after two hours.

Hiralal, Sub-Inspector in Haryana Railway Police (GRP), who was posted at Shambhu border following the farmers' 'Delhi Chalo' march, passed away at the age of 52, Haryana police said on Saturday.

According to the police, Sub-Inspector Hiralal's health suddenly deteriorated while on duty on Friday.

He was immediately taken to Ambala Civil Hospital but despite all the efforts of the doctors, he could not be saved.

The Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) will on Saturday hold dharnas outside the residences of three senior BJP leaders in Punjab on the fifth day of the farmers' protest over their various demands, including a legal guarantee for MSP.

Apart from holding dharnas outside the homes of former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh, the BJP's Punjab unit chief Sunil Jakhar and senior leader Kewal Singh Dhillon, the union will also hold protests at toll plazas in the state, extending support to the farmers' "Delhi Chalo" call.

On the fifth day of their 'Delhi Chalo' march -- called by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha -- the farmers stayed put at the two border points of Punjab and Haryana as they press the Centre to accept their demands, including a legal guarantee of a Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops.

"The price of carrots has gone up by ₹4 in the last 15 days after supply from Punjab is disrupted following farmers' protest. This could lead to a rise in the price of vegetables. This issue between the farmers and the government should end soon."

Sarwan Singh Pandher, General Secretary of Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee says, "Government can bring a law on MSP through an ordinance...Once the govt takes a decision to bring a law, then a solution can be found."

The Bharatiya Kisan Union, which is based in western Uttar Pradesh, will discuss the next course of action with its office bearers. Though Rakesh Tikait, the BKU spokesperson, became the face of the previous agitation, the outfit has skipped the current agitation, at least till now.