NEW DELHI: Nine months since their year-long protest at Delhi’s borders ended, farmers from across the country reached the capital on Monday to take part in a “mahapanchayat” and raised slogans against the BJP-led Centre for “not fulfilling” its promises.
The Delhi Police beefed up the security around the area to ensure that no untoward incident takes place. They deployed adequate force and installed scanning gates at entry points. Despite, section 144 being imposed, the farmers still managed to enter the city.
Punjab Singh Kamboke, who took part in the protest said, “I took part in the demonstration when farmers protested for straight thirteen months on Delhi’s border. The government assured us, that they will acknowledge our demands, but now they betrayed us.” He added, “We lost our brother in the fight against the black farm laws and received no compensation.”
The protesters were disgruntled after the police detained several farmers during the agitation. One of the farmers said, “The police are afraid of farmers, who grow food from them.” The farmers took out the protest in different ways, some came from Kerala dressed with leaves, while some from Uttar Pradesh wore a wreath of onion and garlic.
Some major demands put forward were justice for the farmers who died in the Lakhimpur Khiri incident, legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP), withdrawal of police case against the farmers, loan waiver for the farmers, among others.
Radha Rani (62), hailing from the Barabanki said, “More than five hundred farmers came to Delhi in the general department of the train.” Radha said that all of them brought the homemade lunch for the journey. “Potato is the staple crop in our area,” she said while taking a bite from her meal.
Farmers even broke barricades, which were later resurrected by the Delhi Police. Later in the afternoon, farmers erected a makeshift stage at the corner of the site and installed loudspeakers. Farm leaders — Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Shiv Kumar Kakka, Abhimanyu Kohad also took part in the protest. In the afternoon, a delegation of farm leaders met the District Magistrate and submitted a memorandum.
Security beefed up, vehicles being checked
Security was beefed up on Monday at Delhi borders, including Singhu and Ghazipur, ahead of the ‘mahapanchayat’ called by farmers’ body at Jantar Mantar, police said on Monday. They said all vehicles entering the capital are being checked and police personnel are on ‘alert mode’. Special Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Dependra Pathak said, “We have made adequate arrangements to ensure that the law and order is maintained and there is no loss of life and property.”
According to the police, extra barricades have been put up at Jantar Mantar along with heavy police deployment. Anyone trying to gain entry will be checked thoroughly to avoid any undue gathering which may give rise any untoward situation, police said.