The police in this area have cautioned farmers protest by participating in a planned march to Delhi without permission, and have warned of strict consequences if public property is damaged. Notices have been issued to farmer organizations preparing to join the ‘Delhi Chalo’ protest on February 13, urging them to refrain from participating without authorization. The warnings emphasize the potential legal action that will be taken against those who cause harm to public property. As of now, no farmer organization has requested permission for the protest, according to Ambala SP Jashandeep Singh Randhawa.
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha previously announced that farmers would march to Delhi on February 13 to pressure the government into meeting their demands, which include a legal guarantee for the minimum support price (MSP) and the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations.
Over 200 farmers’ unions from across the country are expected to take part in the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march.
Randhawa stated that anyone found participating in the protest without permission will face legal action. Additionally, if protesters damage public property, they will be held accountable under the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act. The government will also seek compensation for any loss to public property by attaching the protesters’ property and seizing their bank accounts.
Furthermore, the police have advised farmers against renting out their vehicles to others, as these vehicles will be impounded and their registration will be cancelled. Concrete blocks, barbed wire, sandbags, barricades, and other items have already been stockpiled at the Shambhu border in Ambala to prevent protesters from marching towards Delhi.
Farmers have planned to gather at the Ambala-Shambhu border, Khanauri-Jind, and the Dabwali border before heading to Delhi. Officials from the Ambala Police have assessed the measures put in place to halt the farmers at the Shambhu toll plaza near the Haryana-Punjab border.
In addition to a legal guarantee for the minimum support price (MSP), the farmers are also demanding the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations, pensions for farmers and farm laborers, farm debt forgiveness, the withdrawal of police cases, and justice for the victims of the Lakhimpur Kheri violence.
In 2020, a significant number of farmers from Punjab and nearby areas of Ambala gathered at the Shambhu border and broke through police barriers in an attempt to march towards Delhi. Farmers, primarily from Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh, staged a year-long protest at Delhi’s border points – Singhu, Tikri, and Ghazipur – against the now-repealed farm laws.