NEW DELHI/CHANDIGARH: Citing Covid-19 restrictions, Delhi Police on Wednesday denied permission to various farmer organisations to protest in the city against the Centre’s new farm laws on November 26- 27, thereby setting the stage for a confrontation with the agitating farmers.
Haryana, too, barricaded all entry points to the national capital and sealed its borders with Punjab to stop the farmers from marching to Delhi.
“Various farmer organisations have requested permission for protest in Delhi on November 26 and 27. We have conveyed to them in writing and through various media that the protest is not permitted in view of the latest DDMA guidelines,” Delhi Police PRO Eish Singhal said. The police warned of legal action if the farmers flouted the guidelines.
“Please cooperate in ensuring no gathering takes place in Delhi amid coronavirus, failing which legal action will be initiated as per law,” it said.
The Delhi Metro has also suspended services to neighbouring cities till 2 pm on Thursday. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation said no metro services will be available from Anand Vihar to Vaishali and New Ashok Nagar to Noida City Centre during this period. Trains between Sultanpur and Guru Dronacharya stations will also be suspended.
The All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee, Rashtriya Kisan Mahasangh and various factions of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) have joined hands and formed a ‘Samyukta Kisan Morcha’ to press the Centre to scrap the farm laws.
The Haryana Police on Tuesday issued a travel advisory, asking commuters to avoid certain national highways along the state border with Delhi and Punjab for next two days. The Haryana Roadways has already suspended bus services to Punjab.
The move came as Punjab farmers started assembling at 10 routes along the Haryana border for the proposed march to Delhi.
The farmers’ unions have said the protestors will reach Delhi through five highways: NH-1 (Amritsar-Delhi), Agra-Delhi highway (Ballabgarh), Jaipur- Delhi highway (Daruhera), Rohtak- Hisar-Delhi highway (Bahadurgarh) and Bareilly-Delhi highway from Hapur.
At a couple of places, Haryana police on Wednesday were unable to stop the farmers from moving ahead despite using water cannons on them.
Thousands of farmers in Ambala, led by BKU Haryana chief Gurnam Singh Charuni, started their march to Delhi on tractor trailers, cars and bikes.
The police barricaded the route and used water cannons, but the farmers marched on.
In Kurukshetra, the farmers again removed the police barricades and moved on. In Delhi, Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Jasmeet Singh said the focus of the force would be Ghazipur and Chilla borders and DND expressway.
“A heavy deployment is already in place. Paramilitary forces have also been deployed,” said Singh.
Delhi metro services to neighbouring cities suspended till 2pm Thursday
Delhi metro services to neighbouring cities of the national capital will remain suspended till 2 pm on Thursday.
In a late evening statement, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation said no metro services will be available from Anand Vihar to Vaishali and New Ashok Nagar to Noida City Centre during this period.
The metro services will also be suspended between Sultanpur and Guru Dronacharya metro stations.
However, regular metro services will remain available in the entire section of Airport and Rapid Metro lines during the period.
"After 2 pm on Thursday, train services will resume on all Lines from end to end without loops regularly," it added.
Earlier in the day, Delhi Police said it has rejected requests received from various farmer organisations to protest in the national capital against the contentious laws on November 26 and 27.
"Various farmer organisations have requested permission for protest in Delhi on November 26 and 27. We have conveyed to them in writing and through various media also that the protest is not permitted in view of the latest DDMA guidelines," Delhi Police PRO Eish Singhal said.
(With PTI Inputs)