NEW DELHI, Aug 22: Heavy traffic jams were witnessed at Delhi’s borders with various states on Monday as thousands of farmers amidst a very tight security arrangement started reaching the national capital to attend a farmers’ “mahapanchayat” called by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha at Jantar Mantar in support of various demands raised by farm unions, causing many of the commuters to get stuck for hours due to the curbs put in place by the police, officials said.
The Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Jagjeet Singh Dallewal claimed that many of the farmers were stopped from entering the Union Territory. “Vehicles were stopped at the Karnal bypass. We are doing this peacefully and our programme is only for a day,” he said, requesting the administration to allow the vehicles to move. But the Delhi police have denied the claim that the farmers were not allowed to enter the national capital.
Hundreds of farmers from different States started reaching Delhi amid heavy security arrangements to participate in a ‘mahapanchayat’ called by the (non-political) at Jantar Mantar on Monday.
“The mahapanchayat is a one day-long peaceful event where we will reiterate our demands such as a legal guarantee on MSP and cancellation of Electricity Amendment Bill 2022 among others,” said Abhimanyu Singh Kohar, SKM (non-political) member and organiser of the ‘mahapanchayat.’ He, however, added that the police is yet to give permission for the ‘mahapanchayat’ at Jantar Mantar.
Kohar said farmers coming from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh were stopped last night and not allowed to reach Jantar Mantar. They were taken to Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, Rakabganj and Moti Bagh and later released, he said. Kohar said farmers from Punjab, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and some parts of Haryana have reached Delhi and more are coming to take part in the ‘mahapanchayat’.
He said earlier during the farmers’ movement, the central government had promised to consider all our demands but they did “nothing.” “So here we are again to discuss and raise our demands and chalk out future strategy of the movement,” Kohar said.
A massive traffic jam was witnessed at Delhi’s Ghazipur border while vehicular movement remained slow at Singhu border amid traffic curbs put by Delhi Police. Officials said all vehicles entering the capital were being checked and the police personnel are on ‘alert mode’.
Long queue of vehicles was seen at the Ghazipur border as each one was being checked by the police. This is part of the security arrangements made in view of the ‘mahapanchayat’, said a senior police officer. Movement of vehicles at the Singhu Border also remained slow due to additional pickets deployed there in view of the ‘mahapanchayat’, police said.
“Traffic movement has been slow due placement of additional pickets. We are managing the situation according to the flow of traffic. Personnel have been deployed and arrangements would be made without causing any inconvenience to public,” police said. Officials said security has been beefed up at Delhi borders, including Singhu and Ghazipur points, ahead of ‘mahapanchayat’.
“In this connection, adequate deployment of local police and outside force has been made in outer district at Tikri border, major intersections, along railway tracks and metro stations to avoid any untoward incident,” a police official said.
In November 2020, thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh had camped at border points around Delhi against Centre’s three farm laws, which were repealed a year later. The farmers had suspended their movement in December last year after the Centre assured them to consider their other demands concerning legal guarantee on MSP and withdrawal of cases against them among others.
(Manas Dasgupta)
