Security heightened as protesting farmers resume ‘Delhi Chalo’ march

Farmers are preparing to continue their 'Delhi Chalo' protest march from the Punjab-Haryana border today, as discussions with the Centre regarding minimum support price (MSP) guarantees have not yielded any result.

The Haryana Police has requested their Punjab counterparts to confiscate any equipment brought by the protesters to break down police barricades.

It is estimated that around 14,000 farmers have assembled at the border, equipped with 1,200 tractor trolleys, 300 cars, and 10 mini-buses. The Delhi Police has heightened its alertness, performing drills to safeguard entry points as farmers, who have been halted at the interstate border since February 13, ready themselves to move forward towards the national capital.

Kisan Mazdoor Morcha leader Sarwan Singh Pandher, ahead of the recommencement of the protest, restated that the farmers' demonstration would be peaceful and urged the government to remove barricades to allow them to proceed to Delhi without any hindrance.

Around 14,000 farmers, according to government estimates cited by PTI, have gathered at the Shambhu border between Punjab and Haryana.

To reach Delhi, they are using 1,200 tractor trolleys, 300 cars, and 10 mini-buses. The Home Ministry has also reported that 4,500 protesters, along with 500 tractors, have assembled at the Dhabi-Gujran border point. The Ministry of Home Affairs, in a letter to the Punjab government, expressed concern over the deteriorating law-and-order situation in the state.

The Ministry attributed this to troublemakers posing as farmers, who have reportedly engaged in stone-throwing and brought heavy machinery, such as bulldozers and earthmovers, to the Shambhu border.

The letter further added that the machinery brought by the farmers has been 'modified and armour-plated' to dismantle police barricades. The Ministry expressed concerns that these machines could be used by the protesters to damage the barricades, thereby posing serious

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