Farmers Sprayed with Water Cannons
Farmers Punjab and Haryana on their way to Delhi to protest the Farmer’s Bill stopped by the Haryana police with water cannon and tear gas.
Farmers from six states - Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Kerala have been planning protests for two months. The farmers are protesting against the central government’s three new farm laws. Farmers believe that the new bills will reduce their earnings and will give large retailers and corporates more control over prices. Thousands of farmers, some armed with sticks and swords, fling barricades into a river, threw bricks at cops, and physically pushed vehicles as they were stopped by Haryana police on their way to a protest march in Delhi. After a two-hour clash on a bridge in which teargas and water cannons were used, the farmers still managed to cross the border into Haryana.
Tarpreet Uppal one of the farmers traveling in a modified tractor said, "We have enough ration for two and a half to three months. There is a 5,000-liter tank, gas stove, inverter, every facility you can think of. We have mattresses, quilts, and enough vegetables.” He added that they have no intention of returning home soon. We will stay in Delhi as long as it takes. A group of around 200 men from Punjab on their way to Delhi were stopped in Haryana’s Sonipat. The group was talking to the police since evening from across a trench and a barricade, requesting passage. Water cannons started up at full spate at Haryana's Sonepat around 11 pm amid the cold wave as the police tried to disperse the crowd.
Farm union leaders claim 3 lakh farmers are participating in the protest march. There are up to 700 trolleys, each with 20 people. All roads to Delhi, especially in Gurgaon, were jammed as the police screened every vehicle entering the capital. Amid massive protests, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar appealed to the farmers to suspend their agitation and invited them for talks on 3rd December.
