Chaos at Shambhu border, farmers break barricades, several detained

AMBALA: Haryana police detained several protesting farmers on Tuesday as they marched towards Delhi.

The demonstrators attempted to break the multi-layered barricades using their tractors and hand weapons. Chaos unfolded at the Shambhu border as police tried to prevent the protestors from entering the national capital.

Visuals from the border depicted farmers running towards nearby farmland on the sides of the road while police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse them.

Concrete slabs, iron nails, barricades, barbed wires, police, and paramilitary personnel were deployed at various points along the border.

Speaking on the protest, Sibash Kabiraj, IG, Ambala Range, stated, "We welcome the farmers coming from Punjab, but if they travel on tractors, it will create problems for the people." He added, "They can travel on buses, trains, or foot. If they come on tractors, we will not allow them. Section 144 has also been imposed."

In response to the farmers' 'Delhi Chalo' march, Union Minister Arjun Munda emphasized the need for time and deliberation to address the concerns raised by the farming community.

"We care about the interests of the farmers. It is not our concern if someone is doing politics over this issue. We have always been ready for talks and discussions and we are ready to do everything possible to find a solution to this issue."

Arjun Munda is part of the ministerial team conducting talks with the farmer leaders, including Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal, MoS Nityanand Rai, and Punjab Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal.

The farmers are marching to Delhi with 12 demands, including a law guaranteeing a minimum support price (MSP) for all crops, complete debt waiver, a pension scheme for farmers and farm laborers, and scrapping the Electricity Amendment Bill 2020.

They also demand the reintroduction of the Land Acquisition Act of 2013, punishment for those involved in the Lakhimpur Kheri killings, 200 days of employment per year with a daily wage of Rs 700 under MGNREGA linked to farming, and compensation for families of farmers who died during the 2021 protests along with a job for any family member.