DM Monitoring
NEW DELHI: The ‘Delhi Chalo’ farmers’ protest at border points of New Delhi has entered the 55th day on Tuesday. Thousands of farmers, especially from Punjab and Haryana, are staging a sit-in protest along Delhi borders. The protest started on November 26. The farmers are demanding a complete rollback of the new farm reform laws and a guarantee on the Minimum Support Price (MSP).
Three men have been arrested for allegedly trying to hold without permission a protest in support of farmers at the Ridge Maidan here on Tuesday, police said.
Karandeep Sandhu, Harpreet Singh and Gurpreet Singh from Punjab’s Mohali and Chandigarh were arrested under Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) sections 107 (apprehension of breach of peace) and 151 (arrest to prevent cognizable offences) as they had no permission either from the Home Department or from the deputy commissioner to hold the protest, a police spokesperson said.
Himachal Congress president Kuldeep Rathore visited the Sadar police station to meet the arrested men. In a statement, the state Congress chief said they supported the farmers’ demand for repeal of the three new agri laws.
Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) state president Vijendra Mehra and its general secretary Prem Gautam hit out at the state government over the arrests.
Even as uncertainty looms over their planned tractor rally on the Republic Day, farmer unions agitating against the new agri laws on Tuesday said their preparations are in full gear and authorities should facilitate the “peaceful march”, instead of stopping it.
After the Delhi Police sought an injunction on the tractor rally, the Supreme Court on Monday said the decision on it has to be taken by the Centre and the police, and the official permission is yet to be worked out. Protesting unions, which plan to hold the rally on the Outer Ring Road in Delhi on January 26, have begun holding tractor rallies at villages in Punjab to mobilise people for the parade and and said more farmers will be heading to the national capital in batches later this week. Under attack from protesting unions for their “pro-government” public stand on three contentious farm laws, members of a panel set up by the Supreme Court to resolve the crisis said on Tuesday they will keep aside their own ideology and views while consulting various stakeholders, even as they indicated a complete repeal won’t augur well for much-needed agriculture reforms.
A key committee member and president of Maharashtra-based Shetkari Sanghatana, Anil Ghanwat said the farm sector reforms are much needed and no political party in the next 50 years will ever attempt them again if these laws are repealed. He, however, added the panel will listen to all farmers, including those supporting and those opposing the laws, and accordingly prepare a report for submitting to the apex court.
Even as uncertainty looms over their planned tractor rally in Delhi on Republic Day, farmers protesting on Delhi’s borders against the new agri laws on Tuesday said their preparations for the ‘peaceful march’ are in full gear and there is no question of going back.
After the Delhi Police sought an injunction on the tractor rally, the Supreme Court on Monday said the decision on it has to be taken by the Centre and the police, and the official permission is yet to be worked out.
