Tight security at Singhu border ahead of Farmers' Chakka jam. (Express Photo by Amit Mehra)Farmers Chakka Jam Live Updates: Farmers protesting against the Centre’s three new farm laws have called for a nationwide three-hour ‘Chakka jam’, or road blockade, between 12 noon and 3 PM on Saturday. Barring Delhi, the blockade will take place in other parts of the National Capital Region, and the rest of country, including the southern states.
This is the protesting farmers’ first major event since the tractor rally on Republic Day, which saw chaotic scenes as groups of protesting farmers broke off the planned parade route, entered the national capital, and clashed with the police.
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha, the umbrella body of 40 farmer unions that has called for the ‘Chakka jam’, has said that all national and state highways will be blocked. Speaking to reporters on Friday, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait explained, “Dilli mein hum nahi kar rahe, wahan to raja ne khud qile-bandi kar li hai humare jaam karne ki zaroorat hi nahi hai (We are not going to do anything in Delhi, the king there has already fortified it, there is no need for us to do a blockade now)”
Vehicles that get stuck during the jam will be given water and food, Tikait said. These people will also be provided with items like ‘chana’ and peanuts and will be apprised of what the government is doing with the farmers.
In view of the nationwide ‘Chakka Jam’, the Delhi Police has strengthened security arrangements at all border points in the national capital. The police have erected multi-layer barricades to stop the movement of vehicles at the Ghazipur border. Barbed wires have also been put up to keep off people on foot.
The Haryana Police has also stepped up security measures in a bid to maintain law and order. Senior police officers have been asked to personally supervise security and traffic arrangements at vital junctions and roads while district police chiefs have been directed to ensure deployment of adequate personnel, according to an official communication issued to them.
New Delhi: Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar speaks at Rajya Sabha during the ongoing Budget Session of Parliament, in New Delhi, Friday, Feb. 5, 2021. (RSTV/PTI)
The entry and exit points of Mandi House, ITO, Delhi Gate, and Vishwavidyalaya stations have been sealed ahead of the 'Chakka Jam', Delhi Metro Rail Corporation announced on Twitter.
Haryana Police are on high alert amid the farmers’ call for a ‘Chakka Jam’ on Saturday. As a sign of protest against the Centre’s three controversial farm laws, agitating farmers plan to block highways for three hours from noon to 3 pm.
All India Kisan Sabha Haryana unit secretary Dayanand Poonia, in a statement Friday, said, “We urge different sections of society to extend full support to the chakka jam call. The bandh call has been given to ensure maximum participation of the masses in the ongoing farmer agitation against three farm laws as these laws will affect other sections of society. We request the general public to avoid travelling during chakka jam hours if it’s not very urgent.”
“As many as 200 farmers have lost their lives during the ongoing agitation which has continued for the past 72 days. As many as 150 youths have been lodged in jails,” he added.
Apprehending traffic disruption and possibility of law and order problems, Haryana ADGP (Law and Order) Navdeep Singh Virk has asked all district police chiefs to be on high alert and make adequate arrangements to deal with the proposed ‘Chakka Jam’. Read the report here.
From Greta Thunberg to sugarcane dues to communal harmony — a mahapanchayat in Shamli on Friday, meant to rally western UP support for the farm protests, saw speakers explain a host of issues to an estimated 10,000-strong crowd.
The mahapanchayat was held against the backdrop of a call by BKU’s Rakesh Tikait to mobilise support for the farmer agitation; a similar one was held last week in Muzaffarnagar, which too saw roughly 10,000 people in attendance. A call for another such mahapanchayat, in Amroha, has been made for Sunday.
Friday’s mahapanchayat was addressed by RLD national vice-president Jayant Chaudhary along with several local leaders. It was held in Shamli’s Bainsla, a Jat dominated region where majority of the farmers are involved in sugarcane harvesting, and took place despite authorities asking organisers not to go ahead with it. Read the full report here.
Amid heightened security, the Delhi police has deployed drone cameras to monitor the situation during the farmers' Chakka Jam protest. A video shared by ANI shows these drones hovering over the Tikri border area, where farmers have been protesting against the Centre's farm laws for the last few months. Take a look.
After Sambha and Sitapur in UP, the Baghpat district administration has issued notices to leaders linked to the farmers’ protests against the Centre’s new agriculture laws, asking them to sign personal bonds worth Rs 2 lakh to “ensure peace” is maintained.
Former RLD MLA Veerpal Singh Rathi said he and six others received notices from the administration a day before they participated in a mahapanchayat in Baraut tehsil on January 31. The mahapanchayat decided that farmers from the region should move towards the Ghazipur and Singhu borders to join the farm protests outside Delhi.
“I got the notice on January 30 and came to know that such notices were issued to around 200 farmers in the district. By issuing these notices, the administration wants us to stop supporting the farmers. I attended the mahapanchayat and so did the six others who were issued notices along with me,” said Rathi. Read the report here.
Speaking about the ongoing farmer agitation and the need for a 'Chakka Jam' protest, BKU leader Rakesh Tikait said, "Farmers are agitated and want to join the protest and come to Delhi. But we have been requesting them to go back to their villages and work and keep an eye on the protest here. We are planning to stay here at least till October 2. The Kisan Kranti movement started last year on the same date. If the government does not listen to us, we will celebrate Gandhi Jayanti here."
Read our exclusive interview with Rakesh Tikait and BKU (Rajewal) President Balbir Singh Rajewal.
Extensive barricading measures have been undertaken and water cannon vehicles have been deployed at Ghazipur border, the site of the ongoing farmers' protest, ahead of the 'Chakka Jam'.
To assist the Delhi Police in maintaining law and order amid the 'Chakka Jaam' call by farmers, Paramilitary Forces have been deployed at various parts of Delhi-NCR, including the borders.According to the Delhi Police, around 50,000 police personnel, Paramilitary and Reserve Forces have been deployed across the National Capital.
At least 12 metro stations have been put on alert and their entry and exit points have been sealed to prevent any disturbance, ANI reported.