News Analysis India

Tag: Tikri Border

  • Three women farmers killed, two injured as truck hits them near Tikri border

    By PTI

    BAHADURGARH: Three women farmers were killed and two others injured after a truck hit them near the Tikri border in Haryana’s Bahadurgarh early Thursday, police said.

    The accident took place at Pakoda chowk, where the women were waiting for an autorickshaw to go to Bahadurgarh railway station.

    After participating in the farmers’ protest against the Centre’s agri laws at the Tikri border, the women were returning to their village in Mansa district of Punjab.

    The truck driver fled from the spot after the accident, the police said.

    The deceased were identified as Chhinder Kaur (60), Amarjeet Kaur (58) and Gurmail Kaur (60).

    They belonged to Kheeva Dyaluwala village in Mansa district.

    The injured persons were rushed to PGI Rohtak, the police said.

    Hundreds of women have been participating in the ongoing farmers’ protest on the outskirts of Delhi.

  • SKM to probe allegation that farmer leaders were aware of sexual assault of Bengal activist

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Samyukta Kisan Morcha on Monday said it will probe the allegations that some of its leaders were aware of the reported sexual assault of a woman activist at Tikri border protest site, who later died due to COVID-19 at a private hospital in Haryana.

    “We have seen reports on television that some farmer leaders at Tikri border were aware about the assault and they did not take any action. We cannot confirm these reports at present, but we assure you that we will probe these allegations and take strict action,” farmer leader Yogendra Yadav said at a virtual press conference.

    The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) had on Sunday said that it had zero tolerance towards violence against women amidst reports that the woman activist from West Bengal was sexually assaulted on her way to join the farmers protest and later at Tikri border by some persons posing to be “Kisan Social Army” members.

    “She was assaulted by some of these persons on the way to Delhi and after reaching Tikri border. A week later, she developed high fever and was found COVID-19 positive. She was admitted to a private hospital in Bahadurgah. Sadly, on April 30, she passed away due to COVID-19,” it had said.

    Laying down the timeline of events, Yadav said the farmers outfit came to know about the alleged assault only after the victim’s father, who was also present in the press conference, came to meet them on May 2.

    “The father reached Delhi on April 29 and met the woman, who was in a critical condition. She told him the details of the assault before passing away on April 30,” he said.

    Yadav added that on May 3, SKM held a meeting with its Tikri border members and it was decided that the accused would be brought to justice.

    However, the decision to file an FIR was left with the victim’s father.

    “The father filed the FIR on May 8 accusing two men. The Haryana police, however, have listed six names in the FIR, including two who were present as witnesses. We want the police to conduct an impartial investigation, but how will they build a case if they will name the witnesses as accused?” the farmer leader asked.

    The SKM has maintained that the Kisan Social Army was never the authorised social media voice of the farmers group and none of its handles have anything to do with the movement.

    Responding to a report that farmer leader Gurnam Singh Charuni is related to one of the accused, Yadav said the farmers body cannot confirm it yet.

    “We cannot confirm whether the accused is related to Gurnam Singh. But once we know the reality, it will not be taken lightly,” he added.

    Farmer leader Hannan Mollah said that taking note of safety concerns for women protestors, the SKM has decided to form a committee.

    “This incident has raised safety concerns for hundreds of our women protestors. So we have decided to form a committee as per the laws to protect the dignity of women, wherein any women can register such complaints. And the committee will have full support of the SKM and we will make sure the accused will be dealt with,” Mollah said.

    The Haryana Police had on Sunday formed a special investigation team to probe the case.

    Several farmers are protesting against the farm laws at border points of Delhi, including Tikri and Singhu, since November last year.

  • Farmers’ protest: Kisan Social Army constructs permanent shelters at Tikri border

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: The Kisan Social Army has constructed a few permanent shelters near Delhi’s Tikri border for the farmers protesting against the recently enacted farm laws in the country.

    Speaking to ANI, Kisan Social Army leader, Anil Malik said: “These houses are strong, permanent just like the will of the farmers. 25 houses have been built by us so far. We plan to build 1000-2000 similar houses in the coming days.”

    “If the temperatures increase, we will place coolers in the vicinity for comfort. We hope that the Centre withdraws these farm laws,” he said.

    Farmers have been protesting at different borders of the national capital since November 26 last year against the three newly enacted farm laws — Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

  • Agri laws: Another farmer from Haryana commits suicide near Tikri border

    By PTI
    CHANDIGARH: A 49-year-old farmer from Haryana’s Hisar district on Sunday allegedly hanged himself from a tree, about seven kilometers from the Tikri border protest site, police said.

    The farmer, who supported the agitation against Centre’s new farm laws, has purportedly left a suicide note, they said.

    “The victim, Rajbir, hailed from a village in Hisar district. He was found hanging from a tree,” Bahadurgarh City police station SHO, Vijay Kumar said over phone.

    His body was found hanging by some farmers who informed the police.

    In the suicide note purportedly left behind by Rajbir, it is mentioned that the three farm laws were responsible for him to take the extreme step.

    He also said that the Centre should fulfil his last wish by repealing the legislations, police said.

    Last month, a farmer from Jind in Haryana who was also supporting the agitation against the Centre’s farm laws had allegedly hanged himself from a tree, merely two kilometres from the Tikri border protest site.

    Earlier, another farmer from Haryana had allegedly consumed a poisonous substance at the Tikri border.

    He had died during treatment at a Delhi hospital later.

    In December last, a lawyer from Punjab had allegedly killed himself by consuming poison a few kilometres away from the protest site at the Tikri border.

    Earlier, Sikh preacher Sant Ram Singh had also allegedly ended his life near the Singhu border protest site, claiming that he was “unable to bear the pain of the farmers”.

    Thousands of farmers have been protesting since November last year at Delhi borders with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, demanding a rollback of the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

    The protesting farmers have expressed apprehension that these laws would pave the way for the dismantling of the minimum support price (MSP) system, leaving them at the “mercy” of big corporations.

    However, the Centre has maintained that the new laws will bring better opportunities to farmers and introduce new technologies in agriculture.

    If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call AASRA’s 24×7 Helpline: +91-9820466726 for assistance.

  • Farmers’ protest: Two Haryana farmers die at Singhu and Tikri borders

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: The three Two farmers from Haryana died in unrelated incidents at the Singhu and the Tikri border protest sites on Delhi borders, police said on Tuesday. Harinder (50) died of possible heart attack at the Singhu border, while Deepak (28) succumbed to head injuries he received after falling off a tractortrolley at the Tikri border, they said.

    Harinder, from Panipat’s Siwah village, was found motionless this morning near the Singhu border protest site, a police official said. “He was found dead and it is suspected that he died of a heart attack. However, once the postmortem report comes the exact cause of death will be known,” he said.

    Deepak, who was from Haryana’s Rohtak district and was providing voluntary services at Tikri border protest site, died after sustaining serious head injuries when he fell off a tractor- trolley, police said on Tuesday.

    He was hospitalised at PGIMS, Rohtak, where he died on Monday during treatment, Jhajjar district’s Aasoda Police Station SHO Kuldeep Singh said over the phone. “Deepak was sitting in the tractor-trolley and distributing ration (to farmers sitting in protest at Tikri). He fell down and sustained head injuries. He died during treatment at PGIMS Rohtak,” the officer added

    . He said the accident took place at Bahadurgarh bypass road on February 5. Thousands of farmers have been protesting since late November at Delhi borders, demanding a rollback of the three Agriculture Laws. 

  • Farmers’ protest: Heavy security deployment continues at Tikri border as stir enters day 74

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: Heavy security deployment continued at the Tikri border (Delhi-Haryana border) on Sunday morning as farmers’ protest against three agriculture laws enters the 74th day.

    Police officers were seen standing in huge numbers near the barricades placed near the Tikri border a day after the “chakka jam” call given by the farmer unions who were protesting against the farm laws for over two months at the national capital’s border.

    “The government should consider the fact that protesting farmers are dying and these laws should be repealed so that we can go back home. We have been protesting for nearly three months and till these laws are not withdrawn we’ll keep protesting here peacefully,” said Chanranjeet Singh, a farmer from Punjab.

    Speaking to ANI, Kuldeep Singh Danda, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) said, “Farmers held chakka jam very peacefully. We just want to tell the government that a lot of people are standing with us and supporting our cause while we are protesting. I would like to appeal to the farmers to stay firm and we will win.”

    ALSO READ | Ready for talks, government should come with new proposal, farmers say; Tikait calls for ‘tractor revolution’

    Farmers’ agitation against the three agriculture laws at the Ghazipur border (Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border) entered Day 72 today.

    Farmers on Monday announced a countrywide ‘chakka jam’ on February 6. Due to that heavy police personnel deployed across Delhi-NCR including Shahjahanpur (Delhi-Rajasthan) border.

    Around 50,000 personnel of Delhi Police, Paramilitary, and Reserve Forces were deployed in the Delhi-NCR region to maintain the law and order situation here. At least 12 metro stations have also been put on alert, police said.

    Farmers have been protesting at different borders of the national capital since November 26 last year against the three newly enacted farm laws: Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and farm Services Act 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

  • Farmers ‘chakka jam’: Drone cameras deployed at Tikri to monitor situation 

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: Drone cameras were deployed at Tikri border on Saturday to monitor the law and order situation in the wake of ‘chakka jam’ call by the farmer unions who were protesting against the farm laws for over two months at the national capital’s border.

    Farmers on Monday announced a countrywide ‘chakka jam’ on February 6. Due to that heavy police personnel deployed across Delhi-NCR including Shahjahanpur (Delhi-Rajasthan) border.

    READ HERE | Chakka jam today outside Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand

    Around 50,000 personnel of Delhi Police, Paramilitary and Reserve Forces deployed in Delhi-NCR region to maintain law and order situation here. At least 12 metro stations have also been put on alert, police said.

    “Around 50,000 personnel of Police, Paramilitary and Reserve Forces deployed in Delhi-NCR region. At least 12 metro stations in the national capital have been put on alert for closing the entry and exit, in view of any disturbance,” Delhi Police said.

    Meanwhile, security across Delhi tightened today with the deployment of extra forces, putting up multi-layered barricades and barbed wires on the roads ahead of the proposed ‘chakka jam’ by farmer unions.

    Heavy deployment of police personnel seen at Red Fort, as a preventive measure to dispel actions resulting from the calls for ‘chakka jam.’

    READ HERE | Government’s responsibility to ensure peace during ‘Chakka Jaam’: Farmer leader 

    Police along with the barricading measures at the Minto Bridge area deployed. The area has been blockaded as a peremptory counter-measure to thwart the calls. Barbed wires placed over police barricades seen in Delhi’s ITO area.

    Farmers have been protesting at different borders of the national capital since November 26 last year against the three newly enacted farm laws: Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and farm Services Act 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020. 

  • ‘Extremists in garb of food providers’: BJP’s Sambit Patra on violence during farmers’ protest

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: As a tractor parade by farmers protesting against three contentious farm laws turned violent, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said those who were seen as ‘annadata’ (food providers) for so many days have turned out to be extremists.

    On Twitter, Patra also shared a video in which a protestor is purportedly seen throwing away a national flag handed to him from the crowd as he climbs a pole to hoist a different flag.

    “Painful,” the BJP leader said about the video.

    CLICK HERE FOR FARMERS’ TRACTOR RALLY LIVE UPDATES

    “Those we had been calling annadata (food providers) for so many days have turned out to be extremists. Don’t defame annadata, call an extremist an extremist only,” Patra tweeted as a section of protesting farmers broke the agreement with Delhi Police and indulged in hooliganism.

    Lok Janshakti Party president Chirag Paswan also said that the manner in which a crime was committed under the garb of agitation by some unruly elements, it was not acceptable at any cost.

    “LJP condemns this type of behaviour,” he tweeted.

    A tractor march meant to highlight farmers’ demands dissolved into anarchy on the streets of the national capital on Tuesday, as hordes of rampaging protesters broke through barriers, fought with police, overturned vehicles and delivered a national insult — hoisting a religious flag from the rampart of Red Fort, a privilege reserved for India’s tricolour.

    ALSO WATCH:

  • ‘Miscreants plotting to disrupt our peaceful tractor parade on R-Day’: Farmer leaders

    Express News Service
    CHANDIGARH: Farmer leaders have alleged that a plot has been hatched to disrupt their proposed tractor parade on Republic Day.

    They also said that a conspiracy has been plotted to kill four leaders, as they have caught a youth who was allegedly in police uniform and has confessed he was part of group who had been instructed to create disturbance during the tractor rally on January 26.

    The farmers have handed over the youth to Haryana Police. 

    On Friday night, the farmer leaders presented a masked youth, whose identity was not revealed, claimed that he and his ten accomplices were allegedly asked to be in police uniforms and baton charge the crowd during the proposed tractor rally on Republic Day.

    ​ALSO READ | ‘Murder plot’: Man handed over to Haryana police by farmer leaders being quizzed

    Farmer leader Kulwant Singh Sandhu alleged,”Attempts are being made by agencies to disrupt the farmers agitation against the farm laws. We have caught this person from the protest site at the Singhu border and he revealed an alleged plot to shoot four farmer leaders we cannot divulge the names of those leaders, as he showed us their photos on his mobile phone. Also he was tasked to cause disruption during farmers’ tractor march on January 26. We handed him over to the Haryana Police.”

    The youth who’s face was covered with a scarf claimed that a plan has been hatched to shoot four farmer leaders, who are ‘popular faces’.

    The youth said that he and a few other men and women were “working on behest of some people and a station house officer to carry out the attack on famrer leaders.”

    ​ALSO READ | Punjab arhtiyas to shut shops for three days from January 25 in support of farmers’ stir

    “The youth has told us that besides their group there are at least 50 to 60 of them who are now among the protesting farmers and at two places weapons have already reached and taking those weapons they were to fire,” said another farmer leader Jagjeet Singh Dallewal.

    The youth further alleged that his handlers will meet him in hotels and other places and had promised to give him Rs 10,000. 

    “We have been told by our handlers that the protestors were not good people and were our enemies,” he alleged.

    The youth also claimed that their team had also created disturbance in the Jat stir in 2016 and more recently they created disturbance at the Kisan Mahapanchyat of Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar in Karnal.

    ​ALSO READ | Punjab, Haryana farmers to set out for tractor parade in Delhi on Saturday

    While Rakesh Tikait of Bhartiya Kisan Union said, “our agitation has been peaceful. It is now matter of investigation who will benefit from disturbing our agitation. We cannot guarantee whether this youth is speaking the truth or not.”

    Superintendent of Police of Sonipat Jashandeep Singh Randhawa said the story seemed to be unreal but the police is doing thorough investigation.

    Meanwhile, another police official said that the youth was 21-year-old and was contacted by an unknown person on January 19.

    Further investigation is underway.

  • Songs of solidarity: Harbhajan Mann, Jazzy B, Rabbi Shergill take the stage at Tikri border

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Harbhajan Mann, Jazzy B, Rabbi Shergill and a host of other Punjabi singers performed at an ‘Artists for Farmers’ concert at the Tikri border on Saturday, raising spirits of farmers camping on the road braving cold and rain as they await a resolution to their demand for repeal of new farm laws.

    Some of them sang songs of dissent, some raised slogans and delivered motivational speeches, and virtually everyone paid their gratitude to the farmers protesting against the Centre’s three farm laws for over a month now.

    Their message was loud and clear: “We stand by you.”

    Kanwar Grewal, Harf Cheema, Noor Chahal too performed in the concert.

    Bollywood actor Swara Bhasker, who has been vocal about her support for the farmers movement and joined the protest at the Singhu border, was also present at the event.

    ALSO READ: Ready with pleas to challenge farm laws, waiting for right time, says Punjab CM Amarinder Singh

    Harbhajan Mann extended support to the farmers’ demand for repeal of the farm laws and thanked them for all the love they have given him over all these years.

    Kanwar Garewal and Jazzy B, courtesy their protest songs, touched just the right musical note with the protesters.

    Noor Chahal said the powers that be have long divided people in terms of religion and caste but it won’t be able to do so here.

    “I am a daughter of a farmer. Our history tells us that we have won many fights before. I am sure we will win this one too,” she said to a packed crowd.

    ALSO READ: Agri laws: Wisconsin Speaker supports farmers’ protests; writes to Indian, US envoys

    Majority of the Punjabi singers have supported the farmers in the ongoing protest.

    Some like Kanwar Grewal and Harf Cheema, who have been associated with the movement since the very beginning, are also the voices behind some of the viral songs on the farmers movement.

    Their song “Peecha”, which has got over 80 lakh views on YouTube, is a massive hit among protesters camping at different border points of Delhi.

    It speaks of the rift between Punjab and Delhi, farmer suicides and the Centre’s “black laws”.

    “The programme was very good and it lasted for over two hours. They entertained us as well as supported us. They said that they are with us in this cause,” said Jagtar Taari, hailing from Bhatinda district of Punjab.

    ALSO READ: SC to hear pleas against new agri laws, all issues related to farmers protest on January 11

    Thousands of farmers, mostly from Punjab and Haryana, are staying put at various border points of Delhi since late November last year to protest against recent farm laws of the Centre.

    The three laws have been projected by the central government as major reforms in the agriculture sector that will remove the middlemen and allow farmers to sell anywhere in the country.

    However, the protesting farmers have expressed apprehension that the new laws would pave the way for eliminating the safety cushion of Minimum Support Price and do away with the mandi system, leaving them at the mercy of big corporates.

    The government’s negotiations with farm unions to end over-a-month-long agitation appeared heading nowhere at the eighth round of talks on Friday as the Centre ruled out repealing the three contentious laws claiming nationwide support for reforms while the farmer leaders said they are ready to fight till death and their ‘ghar waapsi’ will happen only after ‘law waapsi’.

    The next meeting has been fixed for January 15, amid indications that any headway will now depend on a Supreme Court hearing scheduled for January 11 on a batch of petitions related to the protest.