Kisan March: Farmers to march from Ramlila Maidan to Parliament today; elaborate arrangements in place, says police

Hoping to make themselves heard in the power centre of the nation, thousands of farmers from across the country converged in Delhi on Thursday for a two-day protest to press for their demands, including debt relief and remunerative prices for their produce.

The farmers, who will march to Ramlila Ground on Thursday and to Parliament Street on Friday, came from different corners of the country, including Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh.

Banded under the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC), which claims to be an umbrella body of 207 organisations of farmers and agricultural workers, many of the farmers came in trains and other packed into buses and other modes of transport.

Those from Delhi and nearby Punjab and Haryana started collecting around 10.30 am, their leaders said.

At Ramlila Maidan, it was a sea of red as farmers wearing caps and flags gathered, with some of them arriving here after completing a long journey of as long as 36 hours. The Maidan resonated with slogans of 'Ayodhya nahi, Karzi maaf chahiye (We don't need Ayodhya but debt waiver'). 

Traffic disrupted

Traffic was disrupted in many parts of the city as they marched to Ramlila Ground in the heart of the city on four different routes -- starting at the Anand Vihar, Nizamuddin and Bijwasan railway stations and at Sabzi Mandi.

The marchers will gather at Ramlila Ground by evening, the farmer leaders said, expecting a crowd of about one lakh.

Delhi Traffic Police warned of traffic snarls on several routes as farmers marched toward the Ramlila Ground.

Police in adjoining Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddh Nagar on the outskirts of the city were on alert ahead of the rally.

Traffic was affected on the stretch between Majnu Ka Tila and Chandi Ram Akhada, ISBT, Kashmere Gate, Samalkha and NH 8, Dhaula Kuan and Noida and Delhi.

"Forces were deployed along the border areas and no tractor-trolley allowed to get into Delhi," Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Ghaziabad, Upendra Agarwal said.

Traffic advisory for Friday

The march to Jantar Mantar will start from 9 am. The route of the march will be via Guru Nanak Chowk Ranjit Singh Flyover- Tolstoy Marg, police said.

Therefore, traffic is likely to be affected on roads surrounding the Ramlila ground, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Deshbandhu Gupta Road, Rani Jhansi Road, Mandir Marg, Panchkuian Road, Barakhamba Road, Kasturba Gandhi Marg, Janpath, Ashoka Road, Ferozshah Road, Baba Kharak Singh Marg and Jai Singh Road and inner and outer circles of Connaught Place, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Alok Kumar said.

Commuters going towards New Delhi railway station are advised to keep this factor in view while planning their journey, he said.

Traffic diversions will be effected depending upon the live traffic situation. Citizens are advised to follow the Delhi Traffic Police Facebook page, Twitter handle, WhatsApp and the traffic helpline for live updates, Kumar said.

Tamil Nadu farmers  threaten naked march if stopped from going to Parliament

About 1,200 members of the National South Indian River Interlinking Agriculturalists Association reached the national capital in the early hours of Thursday carrying skulls of two of their colleagues who had committed suicide, said their leader P Ayyakannu.

The group from Tamil Nadu threatened to march naked if they are not allowed to go to Parliament on Friday.

Last year, the group staged protests at Jantar Mantar with the skulls of eight farmers who killed themselves owing to farm losses.

Ayyakannu said he was expecting more farmers affiliated with his association to arrive from Trichy and Karur. 

The farmer leader and his associates are carrying two human skulls. which they claimed were of their two colleagues who ended their lives because they were unable to replay their debts.

"Our main agricultural activities include paddy cultivation, cotton farming, horticultural activities like coconut cultivation, banana cultivation. More than 700 farmers have committed suicide in Tamil Nadu due to loans that they could not repay. We have no water and have been suffering from drought like situations for the last five years. This year, too, we suffered due to storms.

Largest farmers protest in Delhi

The two-day rally will be one of the largest congregations of farmers in Delhi, the AIKSCC has said. A cultural programme would be held at Ramlila Ground on Thursday where prominent singers and poets from rural India would perform.

The AIKSCC was formed under the aegis of All India Kisan Sabha and other Left affiliated farmers' bodies in June 2017, after protests by farmers in states like Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh for debt relief and remunerative prices Police said they have made elaborate arrangements for the rally on Friday, when the farmers will begin their march from Ramlila Ground to Parliament Street.

Support from activists

Support for the farmers poured in with activists taking to Twitter to ask the general public to join the march.

"Women farmers greet us this morning from Bijwasan as they are all set to embark on #KisanMuktiMarch. Join us even if you are not a farmer. Join the hands that toil to feed us. Jai Kisan!," tweeted political activist Yogendra Yadav.

Lawyer Prashant Bhushan also tweeted in solidarity with farmers.

"Over 3L farmers have committed suicide in India in last 15 yrs,due to successive govts betraying them. Tomorrow 1 lakh farmers from across the country are marching to Delhi to ask for fair prices & freedom from debt. Let's stand in solidarity with them," he said.

Students extend support 

University students turned up in large numbers Thursday to support farmers. Several Delhi University students and professors, under the banner of DU for Farmers, mobilised support ahead of the march and distributed food packets to the farmers. 

Members from Left-backed students' groups All India Students' Association (AISA) and Students' Federation Of India (SFI) were at the Anand Vihar, Old Delhi and New Delhi railway stations to meet farmers and take them to the ground.

"Our members will be sleeping at Ramlila Maidan on Thursday and will march along with the farmers to the Parliament on Friday. 
"There were around 50 students from JNU, Jamia, DU and Ambedkar University on Thursday," said AISA DU secretary Madhurima Kundu.

Despite their exams, many Delhi University students came to Rajghat and distributed food packets to the farmers on way to Ramlila Ground.

Gurdwaras offer shelter, AAP volunteers offer food

Five Gurdwaras in the Delhi region have extended their help to the farmers. Bangla Sahib Gurdwara, Sisganj Sahib, Rakabganj, Bap Sahib and Manju Ka Tila will provide accommodation to farmers for the night, he said.

However, majority of the farmers will stay at Ramlila Maidan in tents, he said. The leader also said that AAP volunteers have put up tents in large numbers at Anand Vihar station for farmers who arrived there and are also providing snacks and water to them. Some students from Delhi University have also arrived at the maidan and are helping farmers out.

All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) leader Atul Anjaan said Delhi Jal Board will provide them water tanks and AAP local MLAs will give food packets.

Vounteers, including doctors, lawyers, professors and artists, all came out in large numbers to help. Around 600-700 volunteers of a solidarity group Nation For Farmers marched with the farmers from four assembly points -Bijwasan, Majnu Ka Tila, Nizamuddin and Anand Vihar towards Ramlila Maidan.

Under their campaign, Dilli Chalo, they mobilised support for the march. A cultural programme was held at Ramlila Ground in the evening.

Jamun Thakur, a farmer from Parri village of Bihar's Darbhanga district, said he arrived in the city at 8 am Thursday with over 2,000 farmers mostly associated with AIKS. They started their journey on the Bihar Samprakranti Express on Wednesday morning.

"We grow paddy and maize. But over the years, we have been facing losses due flood and drought like situation. We demand that the government must do something for us. The Nitish Kumar government has done nothing for us. We had hopes from the Modi government but he too betrayed us," said Thakur.

During the mega Kisan Rally led by the Bharatiya Kisan Union on October 2, thousands of protestors were stopped by the security forces at the Delhi Gate, at the juncture of Noida-Ghaziabad-Delhi. They were only allowed after midnight to march further to the Kisan Ghat, the memorial of former prime minister late Chaudhary Charan Singh, in the national capital.

Police says elaborate arrangements in place for farmers' march

Over 3,500 personnel will be deployed on Friday when farmers who have converged here from across the country for a two-day protest begin their march from the Ramlila Maidan to Parliament, police said.

According to a senior police officer, special arrangements have been made in Central and New Delhi police districts.

As many as 850 police personnel, up to the rank of sub-inspectors, will be deployed in the Central district. They will be augmented by the presence of 12 police companies, including two of women, comprising 75-80 personnel each, he said.

He added that 95 officers from the rank of inspectors up to additional deputy commissioners of police will also be on the ground to monitor the situation.

In the New Delhi district, 346 police personnel, up to the rank of sub-inspectors, will be deployed, while 600 personnel from other districts will also help them, the official said.

Nine police companies, along with 71 officers, from the rank of inspectors up to additional DCPs, will also be present at the spot.

"In addition, special reserves have been kept at important police stations. Arrangements will be supervised by the two special commissioners of police (Law and Order) and the joint commissioner of police of all the ranges," the officer said.

There will be a rope on both the sides of the marching farmers with the police walking on the other side of the rope to ensure traffic is not affected, police said, adding that they will ensure minimum inconvenience is caused to commuters.

(With PTI inputs)