Farmers Call Off `Delhi Chalo` Protest March For 2 Days After 1 Dies At Punjab-Haryana Border Clash

A scuffle broke out between protesting farmers and the Haryana Police in Khanauri, resulting in death of a protestor and injury to 12 policemen.

New Delhi: Farmers leaders on Wednesday postponed the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march for two days after a protester lost his life and about 12 police personnel got hurt in clashes at Khanauri, one of the two protest sites on the Punjab-Haryana border. Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher told reporters at Shambhu that they will determine the next course of action on Friday evening. Punjab farmers at Khanauri and Shambhu had restarted their agitation early in the morning after a two-day break following the fourth round of talks on Sunday night with a panel of three Union ministers in an effort to end the deadlock.

“We condemn the atrocities carried out by Haryana Police on protesting farmers at Khanauri and Shambhu borders. Many of our farmers have suffered injuries and several are missing. In view of the situation, we have decided to halt our ‘Delhi Chalo’ march for the next two days. In these two days, we will meet the families of injured and missing farmers and will decide on our future course of action," Farmer leader Pandher said while addressing media.

Thousands of farmers will stay camped at the two border points during the pause in the agitation over their demands, including a legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP) for crops and farm debt waiver.

Farmer leader Baldev Singh Sirsa identified the dead farmer as Subhkaran Singh (21), a resident of Baloke village in Punjab’s Bathinda district. Patiala-based Rajindra Hospital’s medical superintendent H S Rekhi told reporters that three people, one of them dead, were taken to the hospital from Khanauri. The deceased had a wound to his head and the other two are stable, Rekhi said.

Farmers will assess the situation that arose at Khanauri where a young farmer died in a clash with Haryana police personnel, Pandher said. “We will talk about the whole issue and the next decision will be declared on Friday evening,” Pandher said. A Haryana Police officer said around 12 police personnel were injured when they were attacked with sticks and stones were hurled.