Farmers Movement Archive

Delhi takes out shield, farmers can’t get in

NEW DELHI: Delhi remained fortified on Thursday to prevent farmer groups from entering the city after having called for a ‘Dilli Chalo’ march for two-day protest against the recently enacted agriculture laws. Around 100 farmers were detained after they sneaked in and tried to stage the protest. Police commissioner S N Shrivastava patrolled the border points and took stock of the security arrangements, having asked officers in charge of law and order and the deputy CPs to persuade farmers not to try and enter Delhi because permission for their protest had been denied. On Wednesday, farmers in Punjab and Haryana gave a call for the Dilli Chalo march, declaring they would reach the capital on Thursday. Delhi Police turned down all requests by farmer groups and organisations to be allowed to stage the protests in Delhi on the ground that gatherings could not be legally permitted due to the prevailing anti-Covid protocols. Singhu border was blocked by barbed wires and cement barriers and sand-laden trucks stationed across the road to halt protestors. Water cannons were also kept nearby. Chilla border too had a heavy deployment of police and paramilitary personnel. Every vehicle crossing the border into Delhi was asked to slow down and the occupants questioned. Jasmeet Singh, DCP (East) said, “These arrangements will be in place even on Friday since the protest call was for two days. We have been in touch with police heads of different districts for better management, especially keeping the pandemic in mind.” Security was tightened also at Jantar Mantar, where 70 farmers belonging to the Sanyukt Kisan Manch were detained for violating anti-Covid guidelines on public gatherings. Police also detained protestors in north Delhi’s Majnu Ka Tila. They had taken to the road near the Gurudwara to stage the protest and caused traffic jams. The elaborate police arrangements at the borders caused inconvenience to many commuters. People wanting to drive into Delhi were stopped and questioned, leading to traffic snarls in the border areas. On the request of Delhi Police, Delhi Metro also restricted metro services on the corridors catering to the neighbouring states. Delhi Police used social media throughout the day to alert commuters about route diversions and other traffic bottlenecks. Vishal Kishan, travelling from Gurgaon to Delhi Cantonment, grumbled about being stuck at the Delhi-Gurgaon border for a couple of hours before being able to cross the barricades. “I was unaware of the traffic situation there and so took my usual route to work. I got late by three hours due to the closed border,” said the Gurgaon resident. A traffic police official said traffic arrangements had been made at the border areas to prevent congestion and jams. But the roads approaching Singhu border and Delhi-Gurgaon border were heavily packed with vehicles from the morning. The DCP of Outer North district said local police stopped traffic on both sides of the border. Traffic police personnel diverted traffic from Mukarba Chowk, asking motorists to avoid Outer Ring Road, Mukarba Chowk, GT Karnal Road, NH 44 and Singhu border.

The Times of India

2020-11-27

Delhi