Farmers, police clash in Haryana as protests resume after failed talks

Chandigarh: The Haryana Police on Wednesday fired tear gas shells to disperse farmers from Punjab at Shambhu and Khanauri border points as they tried to move towards barricades stalling their protest march to Delhi. Thousands farmers resumed their agitation two days after the fourth round of talks with the government over their demands, including a legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP) for crops and farm debt waiver, failed.

Their ‘Delhi Chalo’ march began on February 13 and since then, farmers are gathered at the border points along with their tractor-trolleys, mini-vans and pickup trucks. Heavy earthmoving equipment, including excavators, and modified tractors were seen at the protest sites, with police cautioning that these might be used to break barricades and cause harm to security personnel. Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda, who is among the three Union ministers engaging with the farmers’ leaders, has appealed to the protesters to maintain peace and resolve issues through discussions.

He has invited the leaders for a fifth round of talks on all issues, including that related to MSP. Police fired tear gas shells to disperse some farmers who started moving towards the multiple layers of barricades at the Shambhu border point near Ambala in Haryana. By mid-afternoon, there had been at least three rounds of tear gas shelling.