The farmers holding farmers' unions flags pushed the iron mesh, put up by the security personnel, down the bridge constructed over the Ghaggar river when the march began. Multiple rounds of teargas shells were fired at the protesting farmers by Haryana security personnel to disperse them.
Punjab farmers under the banner of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha camping at the Shambhu border began their march to Delhi on Friday at 1 pm but they had to suspend it soon. The police forces fired teargas at the protesting farmers and injured several and some of whom even had to be hospitalised.
The farmers holding farmers' unions flags pushed the iron mesh, put up by the security personnel, down the bridge constructed over the Ghaggar river when the march began. Multiple rounds of teargas shells were fired at the protesting farmers by Haryana security personnel to disperse them.
The Haryana deputy commissioner had directed that no procession on foot, vehicles, or other modes will be allowed till further orders.
The Delhi Police had tightened the security at borders to prevent any untoward situation.
Today's march was led by a 'jatha' of 101 farmers and farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher called those farmers 'marjeevras' which means someone willing to die for a cause.
Pandher had said the march would be carried out in a "peaceful manner" and slammed the Haryana administration's prohibiting the foot march.
The farmers are mainly demanding a legal guarantee to minimum support price for crops amid other things and had earlier attempted to march into the national capital on February 13 and February 21, but they were stopped by security forces at Shambhu and Khanauri on Punjab-Haryana borders.
The district administration of Ambala in Haryana asked the farmers to reconsider their proposed march to Delhi and told them to contemplate further action only after getting permission from Delhi Police and ahead of today's march they imposed section 163 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita.
Central paramilitary forces have been deployed on the Haryana side of the border.
Agricultural Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday stated, "All farm produce will be purchased at minimum support price, this is Modi govt's guarantee," in Rajya Sabha.
He gave the assurance while answering supplementaries during Question Hour on the issue of MSP to farmers.
Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said everyone has the right to come and go anywhere or express their views peacefully in a democracy, but the BJP government wants to snatch this right from the farmers.
AAP MP Malvinder Singh Kang said, "Farmers are protesting peacefully since last two years seeking justice in the Lakhimpur Kheri case, for MSP legal guarantee and other issues for which PM gave them commitment. I think it’s undemocratic to stop them from protesting in country’s national capital."
Shiv Sena(UBT) leader Sanjay Raut told PTI, "Centre doesn't want farmers' voice to be heard, stopping march to Delhi in BJP-ruled states."
The Ambala administration imposed Section 163 of the BNSS restricting the assembly of five or more persons in the district and has issued notices at the protest site near the Shambhu border.
Meanwhile, Ambala authorities ordered the closure of all government and private schools in the district.
"The government and private schools will remain closed on Friday," District Education Officer Ambala Suresh Kumar said.
A multilayered barricading is already in place at the Shambhu border point — Rajpura (Punjab)-Ambala (Haryana) – on National Highway-44.
Water cannons were also been deployed at the Shambhu border.
The Haryana government on Friday suspended mobile internet and bulk SMS service in 11 villages of Ambala district till December 9. The suspension was made over apprehensions of "tension, annoyance, agitation and disturbance of public peace" as a group of farmers prepares to march to Delhi.
Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher on Monday had said that a delegation of farmers met Ambala's superintendent of police and informed him about their foot march to Delhi on December 6.
Pandher said the delegation had assured the police that the march would be peaceful and traffic along the route would not be blocked.
A senior Delhi Police officer told PTI that "Delhi Police is on alert and security has been tightened at the border points of the city."
He added, " A skeletal deployment has been made at the Singhu Border but it may increase as per the situation at the Shambu border on the Punjab-Haryana border."
The national capital's traffic is likely to be hit due to the security arrangements at the border and the central part of Delhi.
The officer also mentioned that the police are also keeping an eye on developments on the Noida border, where another group of farmers from Uttar Pradesh observes a sit-in.
The protesting farmers are seeking a legal guarantee to minimum support price for crops.
Besides the MSP, the farmers are demanding a debt waiver, pension for farmers and farm labourers, and no hike in electricity tariff.
They are also demanding "justice" for the victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence, reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013, and compensation to the families of the farmers who died during a previous agitation in 2020-21.