The ‘Chalo Delhi’ farmer protest that commenced on Tuesday has led to intense confrontations at the Punjab-Haryana border, with protesters facing severe police resistance including tear gas, water cannons, and baton charges. Efforts by farmers to push through police barricades towards the national capital resulted in clashes and significant disruptions. In response, the Delhi Police disseminated a new traffic advisory on Wednesday, indicating closures and alternate routes to avoid congestion and facilitate traffic movement amidst the ongoing protests. The advisory affected numerous routes including the closure of National Highway-44 beyond Singhu Border, impacting the Sonipat/Panipat area. Other highways such as NH-9, NH-24 at Gazipur Border, and two lanes of DND remained open for the general public.
The police provided specific detour instructions for those traveling towards Haryana on NH-44. Travelers were advised to use alternative routes involving the Eastern Peripheral Expressway to reach their destinations, bypassing the blockades near Singhu Border and other affected areas. Additional advice included entry points for commuters coming from Ghaziabad into Delhi and vice versa, referencing ISBT Anand Vihar, Maharajpur Border, and exiting through Khoda Colony, among other routes.
On the first day of the protests, the Delhi Metro was forced to introduce crowd control measures, temporarily closing certain gates at nine stations to mitigate the risk of overcrowding, following requests from the Delhi Police. Structured dialogue between farming groups and the government has yet to reach an agreement on key issues such as the assurance of Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops, despite several rounds of discussions.
Union Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda expressed concern over the hurried nature of drafting a law guaranteeing MSP and the necessity for broad consultation. In the interim, the protests continue with a sense of urgency from both farmers desiring to march towards Delhi and the police escalating efforts to prevent their movement. Visuals from the Shambhu border have shown farmers using tractors to breach barriers and arrests being made, signaling an intense standoff. The situation remains fluid with farmers resolved to carry on their march under the ‘Delhi Chalo’ call despite government efforts at negotiation and law enforcement interventions.