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A group of 101 farmers started marching towards Delhi, many of them equipped with masks, goggles, and other protective gear that come in handy during tear gas shelling. The protest is backed by the farmer bodies Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha.
Cops have cast doubt on the identity of some of the protesters and said they will be allowed to proceed only after verification. "We have a list of the names of 101 farmers and they are not those people. They are not letting us identify them - they are moving ahead as a mob," a Haryana police official told ANI.
A protesting farmer, however, said that the cops have a wrong list of names. "Their list doesn't have the names of farmers coming here. We have asked them (the police) to let us move ahead and we will show them our identity cards. But the police are saying that we don't have the permission to move ahead," the farmer said.
Punjab farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher, while announcing the resumption of the march, had yesterday denied receiving any message from the government for talks. "The government is in no mood to hold talks," he said while addressing the media.
A heavy deployment of police personnel has been made at the Shambhu border, which falls between Punjab and Haryana. Barricades have been erected and spikes fixed on the roads to stop vehicles from crossing, showed visuals this morning.
Haryana Police has also appealed to mediapersons to maintain proper distance from the gathering at Shambhu border and other places. The state police chief has been asked to stop journalists covering the protests about 1 km before the Punjab-Haryana border. On the Punjab side, a senior official in Patiala said the media has been briefed just to avoid injuries and that they don't intend to stop the journalists from covering the protest.
The farmers have been protesting over various demands, which include a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP), a farm debt waiver, pension for farmers, and no hike in electricity tariff.
They are also demanding the withdrawal of police cases against farmers and "justice" for the victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence, besides reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013.
The farmers had suspended their foot march at Shambhu on Friday after the police used teargas to stop them from proceeding towards the capital. At least 16 farmers suffered injuries in teargas shelling, said Mr Pandher, adding that one of them lost hearing ability.
Farmer leader Rakesh Tikait, national spokesperson of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), has called for unity among the farmers and said they are exploited because they are divided. Talking about the ongoing protest, he said they would talk to the authorities.