Cars are stuck in traffic at Delhi Noida border as cops check every vehicle
Three union ministers - junior Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda, junior Home Minister Nityanand Rai, and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal - and a central government delegation have been rushed to Chandigarh to meet representatives of protesting Punjab farmers, sources have told NDTV.
The meeting is expected at 6 pm.
Meanwhile, a second, unrelated protest is playing out on the Delhi-Noida border, where Uttar Pradesh farmers are demanding increased compensation and developed plots in exchange for local development authorities acquiring their farmlands for infrastructure and other projects.
The Narendra Modi government's swift action - to counter the Punjab protest - underlines its resolve to contain farmers' agitations before they escalate any further and, crucially, avoid a repeat of violent, nationwide demonstrations in 2020 against its three "black" farm laws.
The ruling BJP - bidding to win a third consecutive term in a Lok Sabha election due in less than three months - will not want a replay of the optics from three years ago - of military-style barricades with cement blocks, shipping containers, and barbed wire fences herding tens of thousands of farmers and their supporters into makeshift townships that sprang up around the Delhi border.
With that in mind, while the Punjab protest is being addressed, those by UP farmers is not.
A large crowd had gathered near Noida's Mahamaya Flyover at 12.30 pm ahead of a march to the Parliament building in Delhi - about 18 km away. The protest call and the assembly of farmers triggered a security response, with paramilitary forces and riot control vehicles deployed.
Visuals from the flyover showed a group of farmers - some waving the Indian flag and all shouting slogans - penned behind multiple layers of police barricades. Commuters on the Delhi-Noida Expressway said other groups were stopped elsewhere, but this created traffic bottlenecks.
As the hours ticked by, there were reports of scuffles between farmers and the police, and several protesters were detained. Police in Noida have banned large gatherings to stop the farmers from amassing in the township or entering Delhi. They have also issued a traffic advisory.
A senior police officer said "the possibility of anti-national elements... cannot be ruled out".
In a video message shared by news agency ANI, senior officer Shivhari Meena said heavy force has been deployed at all Noida-Delhi borders. "All borders have been sealed for 24 hours. All vehicles going towards Delhi are being checked. We are also taking steps to ensure that the common man does not face any problem. We are in talks with the farmers," he said.
On the national capital's borders with Haryana, preparations are on to block the farmers when they try to enter Delhi on Tuesday. Cement barriers, which look similar to the ones used during the 2020-21 protest, have been brought in and sandbags can also be spotted on the Shambhu border, although force is yet to be deployed.
Haryana police have also issued notices to farmers, asking them not to join the protest and warning them of "huge losses" if they do.
The farmers in Haryana and Punjab, who have planned a tractor march on Tuesday, have several demands, including a law to guarantee Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops, pension for farmers, crop insurance and the quashing of FIRs registered against farmers during the 2020 protest.
Haryana police have also sought assistance from central forces to block the farmers on its borders with Punjab.
Significantly, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha that lead the 2020 protest is not part of this protest. This is being led by Samyukta Kisan Morcha (apolitical). Several outfits from Haryana are also expected to join in.