After witnessing the death of a farmer hailing from Punjab, the farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher on Wednesday announced that the 'Delhi Chalo' protest march will be suspended for two days. The farmer who died in the clashes was identified as Subhkaran Singh (21), who succumbed to injuries at Khanauri on the Sangrur-Jind border.
Farmer leaders, rejecting a government proposal in the recent round of talks, announced the revival of their agitation, prompting thousands of Punjab farmers to resume protests on Wednesday.
Top Points:
Farmers announced at a press conference today that the 'Delhi Chalo' protest march will be suspended for two days.
A 21-year-old protester died as a result of his injuries sustained during a clash with Haryana Police near the Khanauri border.
A medical superintendent at Patiala-based Rajindra Hospital, H S Rekhi, confirmed the death and mentioned that three individuals, one deceased and two stable, were brought to the hospital from Khanauri, PTI reported.
Amid reports of the farmer's death, Haryana Police refuted the claim, stating that, as of now, no farmer had died during the ongoing protest. In an X post, the police termed it a rumour, adding that two policemen and one protester were injured at the Data Singh-Khanori inter-State border.
The recent clashes occurred as protesters attempted to breach multiple layers of barricades at Shambhu and Khanauri border points.
Police used tear gas shells to disperse the advancing farmers, with drones employed to drop tear gas at Shambhu near Ambala. The protesters, wearing masks and glasses for protection, faced repeated rounds of tear gas shelling.
- Union Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda, part of the team engaging with farmer leaders, appealed for further talks and urged protesters to maintain peace, as per a PTI report. The minister also invited leaders for a fifth round of discussions on various issues, including MSP.
- Addressing the protesters at Shambhu, farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal spoke about the importance of maintaining peace and urged farmers to remain calm. He questioned whether they wanted to "win or not" and cautioned against elements that could undermine the agitation.
- Dallewal reassured that their intention was not to disrupt peace, emphasising a peaceful march towards Delhi. Accusing the Centre of delaying tactics, he called for a decision in favour of farmers and condemned the installation of multiple barricades at the Punjab-Haryana border points.
- In response to the clashes, Haryana Police warned owners of excavators to withdraw their machines from protest sites, stating that non-compliance could result in legal action.
- Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa alleged police firing resulted in the death of a protester and demanded an FIR against Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij.
To press for their demands, including a legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP) for crops and farm debt waiver, farmers have been camping at the border points since February 13.
The ongoing farmers' protest, led by Samyukta Kisan Morcha and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, seeks the acceptance of various demands, including MSP, implementation of Swaminathan Commission's recommendations, pension for farmers, no hike in electricity tariff, withdrawal of police cases, justice for victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence, reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013, and compensation for families of farmers who died during the 2020-21 agitation.