Rajasthan-Haryana border: Cops use water cannon, tear gas as farmers break through barricades

Ravinder Saini

Tribune News Service

Rewari, December 31

A group of protesting farmers camping at the Delhi-Jaipur highway (NH-48) for the past 18 days, on Thursday, removed two-layer barricading at Shahjahanpur-Khera border in Rajasthan to move towards the national capital.

The police initially used tear gas shells to stop them but later let them go while sensing the gravity of the situation.

The farmers were, thereafter, stopped by the Rewari police near Bhudla village, about 12 km away from the border, whereas other thousands of farmers were, as usual, staying at the border till filing of the news report.

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However, tension prevailed and police personnel were deployed there to foil other such attempts.

The police had to divert the traffic on the highway to avoid road jam following the sudden movement of the farmers. Long queues of vehicles not only on the highway but also on alternative routes were witnessed causing a great inconvenience to the commuters.

“It was around 2 pm when a group of more than 100 farmers from Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan in over a dozen tractor-trailers suddenly started removing boulders and barricadings placed on the highway. The police lobbed tear gas shells but the farmers did not stop and broke the barricades from their tractors,” said Ashok Arya, a leader of All India Kisan Sabha, adding that two farmers also suffered injuries while breaking the barricades.

Arya maintained Swaraj Abhiyan Chief Yogendra and other farmer leaders present on the spot also appealed to the farmers not to move ahead without getting any direction from the central leadership of the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha but they did not stop.

“We want to celebrate New Year in the national capital in order to give a message to the Centre Government that no power can stop the farmers from reaching Delhi. We will not end our stir without the repeal of three black laws,” said a protesting farmer, adding that they would join their other farmers staging dharna at Delhi borders.

Rewari SP Abhishek Jorwal said they would not allow the farmers to go ahead.

“Elaborate arrangements have been made to stop them from moving ahead,” he added.

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