Thousands of Indian farmers resume march to Delhi after talks with government fail
Thousands of Indian farmers, equipped with cranes and excavators, have resumed their protest march to the capital after four rounds of talks with the government failed to make a breakthrough.
On Wednesday, the Shambhu border, which separates the states of Punjab and Haryana, was met with thousands of demonstrating farmers who made preparations to breach the layers of barriers using bulldozers and earth-movers.
After lessons learned from the previous attempt to enter Delhi last week, when police fired tear gas shells at the protesters through drones along with rubber bullets, the farmers have modified the advanced machinery and is said to withstand potential police actions, such as rubber bullets and shotgun pellets.
The farmers have also included gas masks and gloves to their list of defensive measures, for their ‘Dilli Chalo’ march (let’s go to Delhi).
On Tuesday evening, the head of the Haryana police issued a prompt directive to seize the heavy equipment without delay, aiming to prevent its utilization by protesters for the purpose of demolishing barricades.
"It is reliably learnt that heavy earth-moving equipment, including proclain (digger), JCB etc., that have been further modified/armor-plated have been acquired by protesting farmers and have been deployed at the border locations where the protesters are camping right now," the letter written by the Haryana director general of police (DGP) stated.
Meanwhile, Punjab's DGP, Gaurav Yadav, has ordered all high-ranking police officials to stop the movement of diggers, heavy trucks, hydras, and other heavy earth-moving equipment “towards the Haryana-Punjab border at Khanauri and Shambhu by laying 'nakas' (blockades), conducting patrolling and (taking) other required steps".
According to reports, tear gas shells were fired by the Haryana police on Wednesday, after some young farmers started heading towards the multi-layered barricades at the border point, the Press Trust of India (PTI) reported.
The farmers' leaders on Tuesday declined a five-year contract proposal to purchase certain crops at guaranteed prices, stating that the offer did not align with their best interests.
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