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Amid the ‘Dilli Chalo’ / ‘Chalo Delhi’ march by protesting farmers, the Delhi Traffic Police has released an advisory for commuters. The police announced diversions will be in place around the Singhu Border (Delhi-Haryana). A multitude of farmers from Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh are set to participate in the march on February 13 (Tuesday). They are demanding legislation ensuring Minimum Support Price (MSP) for their crops, a condition they had previously stated during their withdrawal of protests in 2021.
Today, the Haryana Police conducted a demonstration of a tear gas shell-dropping drone system at the Shambhu border near Ambala. Security measures at the Singhu border (Delhi-Haryana) have been reinforced with barricades and barbed wires ahead of the protest march organized by farmer unions scheduled for February 13.
On Monday, Live Law reported that a petition had been filed before the Punjab and Haryana High Court, challenging what it described as the obstructive actions taken by both the central and state governments. These actions included the sealing of the border between Haryana and Punjab, purportedly to prevent farmers from exercising their constitutional right to assemble and protest peacefully.
The petition also raised concerns about the suspension of mobile internet services and bulk SMS in several districts of Haryana, including Ambala, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Jind, Hisar, Fatehabad, and Sirsa. The report noted that this move was seen to exacerbate the situation, as it deprived citizens of their right to information and communication.
Over 200 farmer unions are anticipated to join the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march on Tuesday, aiming to exert pressure on the central government to accede to their demands. These demands notably include the enactment of legislation to ensure a minimum support price (MSP) for agricultural crops.
Besides Delhi, Haryana and Rajasthan have also implemented Section 144, albeit in select districts.
The Haryana government has invoked prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC in 15 out of its total 22 districts.
Furthermore, Section 144 has been enforced in the Sri Ganganagar district of Rajasthan, which shares borders with Punjab’s Fazilka, Muktsar, and Bathinda districts.
Here is a list of 10 demands put forth by the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) and Samyukt Kisan Morcha-Non Political (SKM-NP):
1. Implementation of a legally binding Minimum Support Price (MSP) Law.
2. Withdrawal of all cases filed against protesters nationwide during the 2020-21 farmers’ protest.
3. Justice for the victims of the Lakhimpur Kheri incident.
4. Repeal of the Electricity (Amendment) Act, 2023.
5. Implementation of the Swaminathan Commission Report’s MSP based on the C2 + 50% formula.
6. Waiver of loans for the entire farming and labourer community nationwide.
7. India’s withdrawal from the World Trade Organization (WTO).
8. Halt to the reduction of import duty on agricultural goods.
9. Commitment to increasing import duty to benefit Indian farmers.
10. Restoration of the Pre-2013 Land Acquisition Act.
