CHANDIGARH: The Centre has acknowledged that the ongoing farmers’ stir is a nationwide agitation, thus tightening security in and around the national capital to prevent the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march, a farmer leader claimed on Wednesday.
Interacting with the media at the Shambhu border, farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher claimed that nearly 100 ryots have been detained in parts of Rajasthan while on their way to Delhi. “By deploying heavy force, the government has accepted that the agitation is now countrywide, not confined to Punjab and Haryana,” he said.
Pandher said, “Farmers from far off states have been asked to reach Delhi by train or other means and sit on a protest at Jantar Mantar. The government kept saying that this agitation is limited to Punjab. Then why have prohibitory orders under Section 144 been imposed in Jantar Mantar and some other parts of Delhi. Why is there so much barricading on Tikri and Singhu borders?”
Many farmers from Firozabad, UP, have succeeded to reach Jantar Mantar. Several others have started from eastern, central and southern parts of the country will also reach in the coming days if not detained by the authorities, Pandher said.
“We want to tell the Centre that we are sitting peacefully at Shambhu and Khanauri borders as both places are barricaded and we have been denied permission to go ahead. In the name of farmers, for how long will the government harass the Delhi residents,” he added.
Farmer leaders Sarwan Singh Pandher and Jagjit Singh Dallewal had on Sunday called upon farmers across the nation to reach Delhi on March 6 for a protest demonstration.
Cops step up security
Meanwhile, police have installed barricades at borders and other parts of the city and intensified checking on roads leading to central Delhi.
Delhi Police said it is keeping a strict vigil at the Tikri, Singhu, and the Ghazipur borders, as well as railway and metro stations and bus stands. “We have stepped up security at all three borders. We are not shutting any border or route but vehicle checking will take place,” an officer said.
“Section 144 is already imposed in Delhi. We will not allow any gathering or assembly anywhere,” another officer informed. Additional police and paramilitary forces have been deployed at railway, metro stations and bus stands as the farmers would also be coming in public transport, he added.
Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara) Rajeev Kumar said, “As per the inputs, the farmers may start marching towards Delhi from Wednesday. Therefore, security has been tightened and forces have been deployed. Besides, we are trying to ensure that it doesn’t affect the traffic.”
Post-mortem of farmer killed at border
Meanwhile, the death of 22-year old farmer Shubhkaran Singh at the Khanauri border during the clashes between agitating farmers and law enforcement personnel, was caused due to “Multiple round metallic pellets’’ which were recovered from his head, stated the post-mortem report by a team of five doctors.