Farmers protest:Â Â The Haryana government at this time (February 20) prolonged the ban on mobile internet and bulk SMS companies in seven districts till Wednesday (February 21) in the wake of farmers ‘Delhi Chalo’ agitation.
The affected districts are-
- Ambala
- Kurukshetra
- Kaithal
- Jind
- Hisar
- Fatehabad
- Sirsa
The government had earlier prolonged the suspension of mobile internet on February 13, 15, 17 and 19. In the order, Additional Chief Secretary of Haryana TVSN Prasad stated, “After assessment of the prevailing law and order situation in the state, conditions are still critical and tense in Ambala, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Jind, Hisar, Fatehabad and Sirsa districts.”
“There is a clear potential of disruption of public utilities, damage to public assets and amenities and disturbance of public law and order in above-mentioned districts on account of misuse of internet services by way of spread of inflammatory material and false rumours,” Prasad stated.
Internet suspension order
The order has been issued below Section 5 of the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885 and Rule 2 of Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services (Public Emergency or Public Safety) Rules 2017. According to the order, the suspension of mobile internet companies, bulk SMS (excluding banking and mobile recharge) and all dongle companies supplied on mobile networks besides voice calls in the jurisdiction of the seven districts has been prolonged till February 21.
The order has been prolonged to stop any disturbance of peace and public order and shall be in drive as much as February 21. Protesting farmers have been staying put at Shambhu and Khanauri factors on Punjab’s border with Haryana after their ‘Delhi Chalo’ march to press the Centre for varied calls for, together with a authorized assure of minimal assist worth (MSP) for crops, was stopped by safety forces which led to clashes final week.
Haryana asks Punjab to grab bulldozers
Haryana Police at this time requested its Punjab counterparts to grab bulldozers which they are saying protesting farmers from Punjab have introduced with them as they plan to renew their ‘Delhi Chalo’ from the interstate border. The farmers have been set to start their march once more on Wednesday from two factors on the Punjab-Haryana border after the failure of 4 rounds of talks with the Centre over a authorized assure on minimal assist worth for crops.
Though the farmers are nonetheless over 200 km from the nationwide capital, Delhi Police on Tuesday performed drills to make sure that its closely barricaded entry factors usually are not breached. Thousands of farmers, who started the march to Delhi on February 13, have been stopped on the Haryana border itself, the place they clashed with safety personnel. The farmers have been tenting on the Shambhu and Khanauri factors on Punjab’s border with Haryana since then.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday orally requested the Punjab government to not permit the farmers to collect in giant numbers. The court docket noticed that tractor-trolleys can’t be run on highways in keeping with the Motor Vehicles Act and stated the farmers can go to Delhi by bus or utilizing public transport.
Communication between Haryana, Punjab DGPs
Haryana Director General of Police (DGP) Shatrujeet Kapoor, in an pressing communication to his Punjab counterpart Gaurav Yadav, requested Punjab Police to grab all bulldozers and earthmoving gear acquired by farmers tenting on the two border factors to break barricades. He stated such gear might pose a menace to safety forces and the house owners of such gear needs to be strictly warned in opposition to offering them to the protesting farmers as it might quantity to a felony act.
“It is reliably learnt that heavy earthmoving equipment including proclain (digger), JCB etc., that have been further modified/armour-plated have been acquired by protesting farmers and have been deployed at the border locations where the protesters are camping right now.”
These machines are meant for use by the protesters to break the barricades thereby posing severe hazard to the police and paramilitary forces deployed on obligation and is more likely to compromise the safety state of affairs in Haryana,” Kapoor stated in his communication.
The final spherical of talks between farmers and the government ended previous midnight on Sunday when a panel of ministers proposed shopping for 5 crops-moong dal, urad dal, tur dal, maize and cotton- from farmers at minimal assist worth for 5 years by means of central companies.
The protest leaders have formally rejected the provide with Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) chief Jagjit Singh Dallewal saying on Tuesday that it was not in the farmers’ curiosity. On the eve of resumption of the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march, Kisan Mazdoor Morcha chief Sarwan Singh Pandher stated the Centre ought to convene a day-long Parliament session to convey a laws on the MSP for crops. The Kisan Mazdoor Morcha is spearheading the ‘Delhi Chalo’ agitation together with the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political).
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Farmer leaders participating in agitation on Monday rejected the Centre’s proposal of procuring pulses, maize and cotton at MSP by government companies for 5 years, saying it was not in farmers’ curiosity and introduced that they may march in direction of the nationwide capital on Wednesday.
In the fourth spherical of talks with farmer leaders, a panel of three Union ministers on Sunday proposed shopping for of pulses, maize and cotton crops by government companies at minimal assist costs (MSP) for 5 years after getting into into an settlement with farmers.
Besides a authorized assure of MSP, the farmers are demanding the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission’s suggestions, pension for farmers and farm labourers, farm debt waiver, no hike in electrical energy tariff, withdrawal of police circumstances and justice for the victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence, reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013, and compensation to the households of the farmers who died throughout a earlier agitation in 2020-21.
(With companies inputs)Â
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