Shambhu: Protesting farmers on Sunday afternoon suspended their foot march to Delhi for the day after some of them suffered injuries in tear gas shelling by Haryana security personnel here along the state’s border with Punjab.
Farmer leader from Punjab Sarwan Singh Pandher said at least eight farmers were injured and one of them was rushed to the Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh.
“We have called back the ‘jatha’ (group of 101 farmers),” he told reporters here.
Pandher said the farmers would decide their next course of action after a meeting of their forums — the Samyuka Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha.
The ‘jatha’ resumed its foot march from the farmers’ Shambhu protest site earlier in the afternoon but was soon halted by multilayered barricading erected by Haryana security personnel.
Tear gas shells were lobbed at the protesting farmers and water jets were used as well to disperse them after they reached the barricades.
The Ambala police had earlier said the farmers’ outfits may march to Delhi only after getting permission from the national capital administration.
The group, dubbed as ‘marjeevras’ (someone willing to die for a cause), was marching for a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price before being stopped only a few metres away.
Farmers in Gautam Buddha Nagar jail go on hunger strike: SKM
The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) on Sunday said Greater Noida farmers, currently jailed, have gone on a hunger strike.
“Farmers from Greater Noida, currently imprisoned in the District Jail of Gautam Buddha Nagar, have gone on a hunger strike to defend their rights and interests,” SKM said in a statement.
They said the farmers have long-pending demands, including the implementation of a new law that ensures 10 per cent land allotment.
“These farmers were forcibly detained by the administration while peacefully protesting,” SKM said.
The farmers have also demanded addressing the Leaseback (Adadi) settlement issue and enforcement of the 2013 Land Acquisition law.
“The farmer detainees in the district jail have refused to consume food as part of their hunger strike in their fight for justice. Although their strike is peaceful, it poses a significant risk to their health, ” the SKM said.
They urged the district administration, state government, and central government to listen to the farmers’ demands with priority.
