The second day of the ‘Delhi Chalo’ protest by Punjab and Haryana farmers saw tensions escalating further at various border points as police used extreme measures to disperse the crowds and halt farmers from entering the national capital. Farmers alleged that the Haryana police used pellet guns against them at the Khanauri border on Wednesday.

Additionally, tear gas was fired from drones for the second consecutive day at the Shambhu border, aimed at preventing the farmers from reaching the multi-layered barricades surrounding the national capital.

Also Read:Farmers Protest LIVE Updates: Third round of talks with Centre today, Punjab-Haryana border remains tense

During the protest at the Shambhu border near Ambala, farmers resorted to flying kites in an attempt to bring down a drone employed by Haryana security personnel for dropping tear gas shells on the demonstrators. The use of the unmanned aerial vehicle sparked anger among the protesters, resulting in numerous injuries.

On Wednesday, over 40 farmers sustained injuries as the Haryana Police employed rubber bullets, tear gas, and water cannons to disperse the protesting crowd gathered at the Datta Singhwala-Khanauri border between Punjab and Haryana. The border, which had witnessed clashes between the Haryana Police and Punjab farmers for nearly two hours on Tuesday, experienced a surge in the mobilisation of protestors on Wednesday, with approximately 15,000 farmers present at one point in time.

Farmers are gearing up for a third round of talks with Union ministers Piyush Goyal, Arjun Munda, and Nityananad Rai in Chandigarh on Thursday, even as tension persists at the Punjab-Haryana border. Earlier, the farmer leaders mentioned that the protestors at the Shambhu border were given two options — first, to persist in pressing for their demands, and second, to return to the negotiation table for further discussions.

Also Read:EXPLAINER: Farmers’ protest 2.0: What are they demanding now?

Here’s a recap of day 2 of ‘Delhi Chalo’ march:

  • Traffic was disrupted impacting normal life in Delhi, Noida and Gurugram as police set up multiple barricades and halted vehicle movement at the Singhu and Tikri borders due to the farmers’ march towards the national capital. The Singhu and Tikri borders between Delhi and Haryana were entirely closed for traffic, while vehicular movement was allowed at the Ghazipur border in a regulated manner.
  • Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s promise to implement a law guaranteeing Minimum Support Price for crops, as per the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission on agricultural reforms, pitted the Congress against the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Also Read:Farmers resume ‘Delhi Chalo’ march as tensions on borders flare | Recap of Day 1

  • Authorities in Punjab had objected to the use of a drone by Haryana to air-drop tear gas shells on agitating farmers in their territory at the Shambhu border, a senior official said on Wednesday. Punjab’s Patiala Deputy Commissioner (DC) Showkat Ahmed Parray had written to the Ambala Deputy Commissioner, asking him not to send their drone inside Punjab’s territory at the Shambhu border near Ambala.
  • Mobile internet services, bulk SMSs, and all dongle services, etc., provided on mobile networks, except voice calls in the jurisdiction of districts of Ambala, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Jind, Hisar, Fatehabad, and Sirsa of Haryana State, remained suspended and were to continue until February 15.

  • Protest over police action against farmers at Shambhu and Khanouri led members of Krantikari Kisan Union to burn effigies of the Modi government at 40 places in Punjab.

  • Haryana Police had issued another advisory: In view of the call for the Delhi march by farmers’ organizations, the public was informed that commuters from Chandigarh to Delhi could reach Delhi via Panchkula, Barwala, Dosarka, Barara, Babain, Ladwa, and Pipli-Kurukshetra or Panchkula, Barwala, Yamunanagar (NH-344), Ladwa, Indri, and Karnal. Haryana Police appealed to the general public to use the railway route as a precautionary measure for traveling to Punjab because of the announcement of the Delhi march by farmers’ organisations.

  • A few young farmers, part of the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march, on Wednesday took to flying kites in an attempt to bring down a drone deployed by Haryana security personnel to drop tear gas shells on protesters at the Shambhu border near Ambala. The protesters were angered over the use of the unmanned aerial vehicle for dropping tear gas canisters, which had left many of them injured. “We were flying kites to bring the drone down,” said one of the young farmers.

  • Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij took exception to Punjab authorities’ objection to the deployment of a drone for dropping tear gas shells to disperse protesters inside its territory at the Shambhu border, questioning whether it had become “an India-Pakistan border.” Vij’s reaction came after the Punjab authorities raised an objection to the Haryana authorities for the use of the drone for dropping tear gas shells inside Punjab territory at the Shambhu border.

  • With board exams beginning on Thursday, students in Delhi were advised on Wednesday to leave for their centers early as traffic movement had been affected in several areas, particularly in the city’s border areas, due to restrictions in view of the farmers’ protest. The CBSE, in an advisory, had stated that “as the examination starts at 10.30 am, hence, all the students have been directed to reach their examination centers at or before 10 am.” More than 5.8 lakh students took the exams at 877 centers in Delhi on Thursday. The restrictions, which were being implemented most stringently at the Tikri and Singhu border points, had left residents of these areas worried about how their children would reach exam centers on time.