Chandigarh: Police uses water cannon as farmers break through barricades
(Sourced from PTI)
Police on Saturday used a water cannon to disperse farmers as they broke through barricades at the Chandigarh-Mohali border, trying to march toward the Punjab Governor's house in Chandigarh. One of the protesting farmers climbed on top of a water cannon vehicle. Officials said a heavy police force was deployed in Chandigarh following a call by farmers to march toward the Governor's house.
They marched toward the Governor's house to submit a memorandum to mark the completion of the seven months of their agitation against the Centre's three new farm laws. A large number of farmers, which also included women, from several parts of Punjab, assembled at the Amb Sahib Gurudwara in Mohali before moving toward Punjab Raj Bhavan.
Similarly in Haryana, farmers from several parts of the state gathered at Nada Sahib Gurudwara in Panchkula and headed toward the Raj Bhavan. In view of the farmers' protest march, the Haryana Police had made security arrangements at the Chandigarh-Panchkula border.
Notably, farmers have been protesting against the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; Farmers' (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020; and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020. They have been camping at Delhi borders since November last year demanding the withdrawal of these three laws.
The farmers have also been demanding a new law be made to guarantee a minimum support price (MSP) for their crops. They had also stated that they will not accept a compromise on any grounds. Several rounds of talks between the farmers and the government have failed to break the deadlock over these contentious laws.
The government last held talks with farmer leaders on January 22. The talks between the two sides came to a halt after a January 26 tractor parade by farmers in Delhi turned violent.
