Indian farmers march towards Delhi, welcome with tear gas and rubber bullets
Indian farmers march towards Delhi, welcome with tear gas and rubber bullets
Urdu International (Monitoring Desk) According to the international news agency “Al Jazeera“, these demonstrations are a continuation of the protests that took place two years ago, during which 600 people were killed in clashes with the police.
According to Al Jazeera, thousands of farmers have gathered on the outskirts of India’s capital, New Delhi, to demand guaranteed minimum prices for their crops, debt relief and policy reforms.
The protests are being led by more than 250 farmers’ unions, including the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (a platform representing more than 150 unions) and the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), which is supported by more than 100 unions. With participants coming from as far away as states like Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, the protests are being coordinated from Punjab and are drawing support from beyond the state’s borders.
Farmers have been marching towards New Delhi with their tractors and trucks since Tuesday this week. In an attempt to stop the march, Indian authorities have placed barricades and other heavy machinery along highways leading to the capital.
During an attempt by protestors to break barricades in Shambhu village on the Punjab-Haryana border, the Haryana police fired tear gas shells to disperse them. Haryana borders New Delhi, and is governed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party.
The protests are a continuation of protests in and around New Delhi that took place two years ago. It continued for more than a year, during which more than 600 people were killed during a violent crackdown by the authorities. The protests ended after the government agreed to repeal three agrarian reform laws that farmers had objected to. However, their other demands were not met and the issues flared up again.
Demand for a stronger system to fix minimum support prices (MSP) to protect farmers from market fluctuations is at the heart of the protests. The protesters are also demanding debt relief and a ban on privatization of the power industry.
According to the farmers, they were forced to come to the streets again as their demands were not met. “We never wanted to do this, but farmers are committing suicide. They have huge debts. We are here to save them.”
Another farmer, Dharam Singh Sidhu, 60, vice-president of Kisan Sangash Samiti, Ferozepur, Punjab, described teargassing farmers and firing rubber bullets at protesters as “undemocratic”.
He said that under democracy, everyone has the right to protest peacefully, but despite proceeding peacefully, they are obstructing us, shelling and firing. No farmer is involved in any illegal activity. We are protesting peacefully.Indian farmers march towards Delhi, welcome with tear gas and rubber bullets
Indian farmers march towards Delhi, welcome with tear gas and rubber bullets
“We were forced to hit the roads again over the same demands,” she added. “The promises made by the present government have to be fulfilled by them, and tomorrow if there is any new government, why would they fulfil our demands? We never wanted to do it but farmers are committing suicide; they have huge loans. We are here to save them.”
Another farmer, Dharam Singh Sidhu, 60, vice president of Kissan Sangash Samiti for Ferozepur, Punjab, called the teargassing of farmers and the firing of rubber bullets at the protesters “undemocratic”.
“Under democracy, everyone has the right to protest peacefully, but despite moving peacefully, they are barricading, shelling and opening fire at us. No farmers are engaging in any unlawful activity; we are protesting peacefully,” Sidhu said. Indian farmers march towards Delhi, welcome with tear gas and rubber bullets
The timing of the protest ahead of impending elections in the next few months highlights the political significance of despair among farmers, who make up a sizeable voting bloc in the country.