After over four hours of tug of war between the security forces comprising Delhi Police and the paramilitary on one side and the tens of thousands of farmers on the other side of the national capital periphery that saw water cannons gushing out chilled showers and several rounds of tear-gas shells, it appears to be a lunch-time truce.
With farmers groups plopping down at the borders putting makeshift arrangements to prepare food as Delhi denies them entry.
Speaking to IANS, a farmer said, “We want to reach Delhi, but we have been stopped by Police here (Singhu border). So we have sat here on protest and are preparing food for our friends who are in this protest with us.”
He said that we have food stock for more than a week with us, and more farmers are coming from Punjab with more food stock. “Once they join us here we are ready for sitting on protest for long period,” he said.
The farmer further said that they are only coming to Delhi to protest peacefully against the Agriculture Bills passed by government in September this year.
Several farmers groups sat on protest near the border and raised slogans against the government.
At the Delhi-Haryana Singhu border, the Delhi Police has put three layer barricades with barbed wires, followed by trucks to stop the agitating farmers marching towards Delhi, with several vehicles of water canons.
Besides the Delhi Police, hundreds of para military force personnel are also present at the Delhi-Haryana border to stop the farmers from entering Delhi.
In view of no permission from the Delhi Police to enter Delhi, the farmers brought out their stoves and started preparing food for themselves. Thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana and several other states will wait it out, a protester said.
Even as it remained a contest of who blinks first the Centre or the farmers, Delhi Police remain fully prepared to stop the farmers from entering the national capital as part of their ‘Dilli Chalo’ programme against the controversial Agriculture Bills.New Delhi, IANS
COMMENTS