Farmers Protest Live Updates: The Haryana government on Saturday moved to suspend internet services throughout the areas within the jurisdiction of Ambala district from 6 AM till 11:59 PM on 17 December in anticipation of the farmers’ rally.
After the police stopped a ‘jatha’ of farmers belonging to 101 at the Shambhu border which led the march to be called off, farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher announced a ‘tractor march’ in states outside Punjab on Monday. He also announced a ‘Rail roko’ from 12 noon to 3 pm on Wednesday in Punjab. The farmers also called off the march at the Shambhu border after a few of them were injured and sent for hospitalization.
Some resisting farmers were foiled by the Haryana security personnel with tear gas shells and water cannons on December 6 and 8 earlier. Consequently, 22 farmers were hospitalized due to injuries. The Haryana government early Saturday suspended the internet services in areas said to fall within the jurisdictions of the Ambala district- starting from 6 am to 11:59 pm coming December 17- in view of farmers’ march.
On the other hand, Sarwan Singh Pandher appealed to the people of Punjab to participate in the ‘Rail roko’ agitation that the farmers would undertake on December 18. “I want to appeal to the people of Punjab to join the ‘Rail Roko’ agitation through the farmers on December 18. We urge the people of all villages in Punjab residing near the railway tracks to block their nearest railway crossings and railway stations from 12 noon to 3 pm,” Pandher was quoted as saying by ANI. The farmer leader also accused the opposition, especially Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, of not delivering on the promise made by their party for farmers.
Another major update on the Protest:
Congress leader Kumari Selja expressed serious concern over the health condition of Ravi Singh Dallewal, an agricultural leader on a hunger strike. She urged Prime Minister Modi to act immediately in the farmers’ interests. The Sirsa MP added that the government has converted the borders between Punjab and Haryana into a bulwark resembling that of the India-Pakistan border, which is met with water cannons and tear gas shells instead of addressing farmers’ issues.
“Dallewal himself has written an open letter to the prime minister raising 13 demands, including the legal guarantee to MSP. The anti-farmer attitude of the government is now apparent, as it refuses to pay heed to any of the farmers’ demands,” she said in her statement.
