Shambhu turns battleground again, 9 hurt as tear gas shells fired at farmers

Nine farmers were injured, two of them critically, after the Haryana Police and paramilitary forces fired tear gas shells to disperse protesters at Shambhu on the Punjab-Haryana border on Friday.

‘Won’t give up, meeting today’

Sarwan Singh Pandher, president, Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, said the farmers would make another attempt to cross the border on Sunday. “A meeting has been called on Saturday to chalk out the next course of action. We have also decided to launch a peaceful protest against BJP leaders across the state,” he said.

Earlier in the day, a “jatha” of 101 farmers began a march to Delhi to press for various demands, including a legal guarantee for MSP and debt waiver, from Shambhu. The “jatha” was stopped 200 metres short of the border on the Ghaggar bridge where multi-layered barricades had been placed by Haryana security personnel.

The police asked the farmers not to proceed further, citing prohibitory orders clamped by the Ambala district administration under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) that prohibits the assembly of five or more persons. The unrelenting farmers, however, kept marching forward and crossed three layers of security — barricades, barbed wires and fencing installed on the bridge. When they reached cemented barricades, the final hurdle before crossing over to Haryana, the security personnel fired at least 20 tear gas shells to disperse them.

Covering their eyes and mouths, several protesting farmers rushed to cover the tear gas shells with wet jute bags to counter the smoke. Many of them were seen uprooting iron nails and barbed wires.

A few of them were seen pushing an iron mesh put up by the Haryana security personnel. One protester even climbed the roof of a tin shade where security forces had been stationed. He was forced to climb down.

Two shells reportedly hit farm leaders Surjit Singh Phool and Harpreet Singh. Both fell unconscious and were rushed to the Civil Hospital, Rajpura. Seven other farmers also sustained injuries, claimed Sarwan Singh Pandher, president, Kisan Mazdoor Sangarash Committee (KMSC).

Ambala Range IG Sibash Kabiraj, Deputy Commissioner Parth Gupta and SP Surinder Singh Bhoria were present at the spot. The police said, “While exercising restraint, repeated warnings were given to the farmers to stay behind and maintain law and order. Appropriate action was taken.”

Haryana minister Anil Vij said “The farmers can’t be allowed to march forward. Before holding any event in Delhi, they should get permission. If we let them in, they will not be allowed to enter Delhi. They will then lay siege to highways in Haryana and cause inconvenience.”

Pandher termed the 101 farmers “marjeevdas” (those willing to die for a cause) and slammed the Haryana Government for not allowing them to march even on foot.

He said, “This is our moral victory.”