As protesting farmers march towards Delhi, security forces bring out tear gas, water cannon

Security forces used tear gas and water cannons on the 'Jathha' of farmers who were marching towards Delhi.

Haryana security personnel fired tear gas shells and deployed a water cannon to disperse protesting farmers who were attempting to march towards Delhi at the Shambhu border on Saturday. This action occurred after a group of 101 farmers resumed their foot march from the Shambhu protest site, located on the Punjab-Haryana border, around 12 noon. As they approached the barricades set up by Haryana security personnel, they were halted.

A farmer at the protest site at Shambhu border.(PTI)

Several farmers were injured by the tear gas and were transported to a nearby hospital in ambulances stationed at the protest site.

Earlier, Ambala Deputy Commissioner Parth Gupta and Ambala Superintendent of Police S.S. Bhoria held talks with the farmers for over 30 minutes, trying to convince them to obtain permission from Delhi authorities before proceeding. However, the farmers remained firm in their decision to head to Delhi, urging security forces to let them pass.

What are the farmers demanding

The farmers are demanding a legal guarantee for the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for their crops, among other issues.

After walking a short distance, the farmers were stopped at the barricades by Haryana security personnel. This marked the third attempt by the farmers to march towards Delhi. Previous attempts on December 6 and December 8 were also blocked by Haryana security forces.

The protesting farmers, under the banners of Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, have been calling for a legal guarantee for MSP and for the Centre to initiate talks to address their concerns.

The Ambala district administration has enforced a prohibitory order under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which bans unlawful assemblies of five or more people. The Ambala police had previously stated that the farmer organizations, which are demanding a legal guarantee for MSP and other issues, could march to Delhi only with permission from the Delhi administration.