Punjab farmers to march to Delhi today; traffic snarls likely as security heightened at borders

As the Punjab farmers embark on their ‘Dilli Chalo’ march from the Shambhu border today, prohibitory orders have been imposed in the Ambala district of Haryana preventing the assembly of large crowds, reported news agency PTI.

Traffic may see slow movement as security at the Shambhu border on NH-44 has been significantly increased, with both Haryana and Punjab police deploying additional resources. Police also told PTI that they will be monitoring the Singh border and are prepared to tackle any situation.

In Ambala, the district administration has imposed Section 163 of BNSS, restricting the assembly of five or more persons and issued notices around the Shambhu border.

Section 163 was also imposed in Jind, where farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal has been sitting on a fast-unto-death for the last 10 days, according to an HT report.

Over 100 farmers are set to march towards Delhi on Friday to advocate for their demands. The farmers have called for a legal guarantee of the minimum support price (MSP) for crops, a debt waiver, pensions for farmers and farm labourers, reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act, and no hike in electricity tariff.

Additionally, they have asked for “justice” for the victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence and compensation to the families of the farmers who died during a previous protest in 2020-21.