Farmers' Protests: Division Over Protest Site After Delhi Police Allotted Nirankari Ground For 'Peaceful Demonstration'

In a fresh development, farmers are reportedly divided over the protest site as many want to stage their demonstration in Ramlila maidan instead of the Nirankari ground assigned by Delhi Police.

New Delhi: Police clash with agitating farmers, who had gathered at Singhu border as part of their Delhi Chalo protest against Centres new farm laws, at Singhu Border in New Delhi, Friday, Nov 27, 2020. (PTI Photo)

New Delhi: After facing a tough confrontation with Police at different points across the Punjab-Haryana-Delhi border, farmers were finally given permission to hold a "peaceful demonstration" at the Nirankari Ground in Burari. Hundreds of farmers had faced tear gas and water cannons before the announcement. However, the matter has not yet settled on this front.  Many farmers are not willing to get to the allocated site as they want to hold the demonstration at Ramlila Maidan. As per reports, tear gas shells were lobbed at regular intervals and water sprays continued to push the crowd back as many wanted to march towards the Ramlila ground or Jantar Mantar and not the designated Nirankari ground in North Delhi's Burari. Earlier, Delhi Home Minister Satyendar Jain had denied permission to use stadiums as temporary jails for agitating farmers as Delhi Police had approached the government to allow them to use the city's nine stadiums as temporary jails due to the farmers' 'Delhi Chalo' march. Meanwhile, Minister of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar said the government has called the farmer bodies for another round of talks on December 3. Punjab Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh welcomed the Union government's decision allowing farmers to enter the national capital as he tweeted "I welcome the Centre's decision to allow farmers to enter Delhi to exercise their democratic right to protest. They should also now initiate immediate talks to address farmers' concerns on the Farm Laws and resolve the simmering issue". However, he followed that by attacking Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar alleging that despite the permission, farmers are not being stopped by the police with "brutal force". "Centre has now allowed farmers to enter Delhi, yet the ML Khattar government is resorting to brutal force to stop them from marching peacefully to the national capital? What's the need for such harsh measures? This barbarism needs to stop right now Khattar ji," he wrote. Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has also condemned the police action.

Impressed by remarkable restraint shown by farmers in face of @mlkhattar govt's and Haryana police's brutality. Their exemplary behaviour shows that farmers are not interested in confrontation, they only want to be heard, which is their constitutional right.

— Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) November 27, 2020

Meanwhile, the Delhi government committed to providing basic facilities like drinking water, food and power supply to the farmers at Nirankari grounds. It has asked its MLA and Delhi Jal Board vice-chairman Raghav Chadha to oversee the situation at Burari. Aam Aadmi Party's official Twitter handle informed about Chadha's visit on the ground to check the arrangements made.