Several farmers injured as Indian police use teargas to halt march to Delhi
Delhi: Several farmers were injured when Indian police used tear gas and pepper spray to disperse protesters attempting to revive their “March to Delhi” campaign, demanding guaranteed minimum prices for their crops.
According to Kashmir Media Service, at least eight people were injured, with two suffering serious injuries, following a clash on a highway near Shambhu, located around 200 kilometers north of Delhi on the Punjab-Haryana border.
“Police used excessive force against us. We were protesting peacefully, but we knew we could not withstand the strength of the police response,” said farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher. “We have called off the protest for today, but Modi cannot justify the actions taken against us. We are deeply hurt.”
Pandher further explained, “In February, we held four rounds of talks with the government, but since then, there has been no progress on our demands. We want the government to respect our right to protest peacefully.”
The protest, reignited this week, recalls the 2021 farmers’ movement, where farmers stormed the Indian capital on tractors to voice their grievances.
To block the farmers’ advance at Shambhu, police set up extensive barricades of concrete blocks and razor wire. Authorities also suspended mobile internet services along the protest route to curb communication among demonstrators.
Despite these measures, farmers, waving blue and yellow flags, managed to break through part of the blockade before being halted by police. In addition to their call for price guarantees for their crops, the farmers are demanding other concessions, including loan waivers and increased compensation for land that was acquired by the government several years ago.
The ongoing protest follows the intense struggles of 2020-2021, when farmers, angered by agricultural reform bills, staged a year-long protest that eventually led Indian Prime Minister Modi’s government to repeal the controversial laws. Farmers had argued that these laws would give private corporations too much control over India’s agricultural sector.
