Prohibitory orders under section 144, which bars large gatherings, were imposed in the northeast district of the national capital on Sunday in view of farmers' 'Delhi Chalo March' on February 13, an official said.
A large number of farmers from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab are expected to march towards the national capital on Tuesday under their Delhi Chalo March organised by around 200 farmer unions.
"We have imposed Section 144 of the CrPC (prohibitory orders). Information has been received that some farmer organisations have given call to their supporters to gather/march to Delhi on February 13 for their demands of law on MSP. No one will be allowed to breach law and order situation," according to an order issued by the Deputy Commissioner of Police (northeast) Joy Tirkey.
The order said the farmers are likely to sit Delhi borders till their demands are met.
'Keeping in view the kind of behaviour and adamant approach farmers showed during protests in the past, there is a possibility of mobilisation/activities of farmers/supporters from their respective districts to Delhi along with Tractor/Trolleys/Arms. Farmers will also come from Haryana, Punjab, UP, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, MP and other possible area,' it said.
A precautionary order of Section 144 is required to be issued to save life and property in the area, avoid any untoward incident and maintain law and order, the communication said.
"There are five different points in the order like -- prohibit gathering of general public at all borders between Delhi and Uttar Pradesh and nearby areas in the jurisdictional area of northeast District. Prohibit entering of tractors, trolleys, buses, trucks, commercial vehicles, personal vehicles, or horses etc, carrying protestors in Delhi from Uttar Pradesh.
"Order that the northeast district police shall make all efforts to prevent protestors from entering Delhi. Order that no person or protestor shall be allowed to bear arms, including firearms, swords, trishul, spears, lathi, rods and the police shall make all efforts to detain these persons on the spot. Order that any person found to be acting in contravention to this order shall be liable to be punished under section 188 of the IPC," said the DCP.
Bracing for the agitation, police are fortifying Delhi's border with Uttar Pradesh and Haryana with barricades and by deploying more than 5,000 security personnel.
On Thursday, farmers from Uttar Pradesh went on a sit-in demonstration on the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway as police blocked their protest march to Delhi, resulting in massive traffic chaos.
Several farmer associations, mostly from UP, Haryana and Punjab, have called for the protest on February 13 to demand a law guaranteeing minimum support price (MSP) for their produce, one of the conditions they had set when they agreed to withdraw their agitation in 2021.
"We are in contact with our counterparts in Haryana, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh to know that how many farmers organisations will join the protest and number of expected people. We have proper arrangements to deal with any law and order situation," said a senior Delhi Police officer.
"Proper security plan has already been chalked-out. Borders will have multi-layer security check points. Vehicles entering the national capital will be checked properly. We had already installed barricades at different border of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. Police personnel will be in anti-riot gears," said the police officer.
Haryana authorities have sealed the state's border with Punjab at Shambhu near Ambala district, placing concrete blocks, sandbags, barbed wire and anti-riot vehicles on the road ahead of the farmers' proposed 'Delhi Chalo' march on February 13.
Iron sheets have been installed along the two sides of the road on the Ghaggar flyover to prevent protesters from throwing police barricades off it.
Water cannons and Vajra vehicles have been stationed and the Ghaggar river bed below has been dug up. Pedestrians were seen crossing the shallow stream on foot.
Police have also made elaborate arrangements at the state's borders with Punjab in Jind and Fatehabad districts to stop the march.
In Fatehabad, concrete blocks and spike strips have been placed on a road in the Jakhal area.
At the Tohana border in the district, authorities have placed sand-laden containers and concrete barricades and cemented three layers of nails on the road.
In Jind, two roads near the Haryana-Punjab border have been shut for vehicular movement and restrictions imposed on two more roads, a police official said on Sunday.
Apprehending the disturbance of peace because of the proposed march, the Haryana government has suspended mobile internet services and bulk SMS in seven districts -- Ambala, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Jind, Hisar, Fatehabad and Sirsa -- from February 11 to 13.
Amid measures by Haryana authorities to prevent the farmers from heading towards the national capital, the Centre has invited them to hold another meeting to discuss their demands on February 12.
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha had announced the 'Delhi Chalo' march by more than 200 farmers' unions on February 13 to press the Centre into accepting several demands, including the enactment of a law to guarantee a minimum support price (MSP) for crops.
The Haryana Police on Saturday issued a traffic advisory asking commuters to take alternative routes given the restrictions imposed.
In the traffic advisory, police asked commuters going from Chandigarh to Delhi to take alternative routes via Derabassi, Barwala/Ramgarh, Saha, Shahbad, Kurukshetra, or through Panchkula, NH-344 Yamunanagar Indri/Pipli, Karnal.
Similarly, passengers travelling from Delhi to Chandigarh have been asked to reach their destination via Karnal, Indri/Pipli, Yamunanagar, Panchkula, or Kurukshetra, Shahbad, Saha, Barwala, Ramgarh, according to police.
Ambala and Kaithal districts have imposed section 144 of the CrPC, prohibiting the assembly of five or more people.
Police have also been holding meetings with sarpanch of villages and khap panchayats, asking them not to participate in the march.
SKM (Non-Political) leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal slammed the Haryana government for making arrangements to stop farmers from going towards Delhi.
"We are ready for talks and will never run away from dialogue," he said.
On one side, talks are going on with the Centre and on the other hand, the state government is creating terror, Dallewal said, adding, "What the Khattar government is doing is unfortunate and condemnable."
He said the government had 'promised' a legal guarantee on minimum support price during the stir against the now-repealed farm laws.
The farmer leader said the government had 'promised' the withdrawal of cases registered against farmers.
Farmers were forced to move towards Delhi as their demands were not accepted by the Centre.
"Why is the government scared? Huge barricading was being done. Is this democracy," Dallewal asked.
"If the situation turns bad, it will be the responsibility of the Khattar government," he said in a video message.
Besides a legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP), the farmers are also demanding the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission's recommendations, pensions for farmers and farm labourers, farm debt waiver, withdrawal of police cases and 'justice' for victims of the Lakhimpur Kheri violence.
In 2020, a large number of farmers from Punjab and nearby areas of Ambala gathered at the Shambhu border and broke police barriers to march towards Delhi.
The farmers, mainly from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, held a year-long protest on Delhi's border points -- Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur -- against the three now-repealed farm laws.