Farmers' Nationwide Tractor March Today: Traffic Advisory Issued For Commuters In Delhi, Noida

The Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) and Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) have called for a nationwide tractor march on Monday. The rally is scheduled to cross the Yamuna Expressway starting from Mehndipur in Rubupura to Faleda Cut. Following this, the police have enforced restrictive orders under Section 144. Also,  a traffic advisory for commuters has been released, warning them of the disruptions and diversions along the Delhi-Noida border region. Meanwhile, in the latest set of accusations, Gurmanmeet Singh Mangat, the secretary-general of the Progressive Farmers Front, claimed on Sunday that a farmer, previously apprehended at the protest site, had been subjected to severe physical abuse by Haryana Police officers.  

Grave Allegation By Farmers  

Addressing the media on Sunday, Mangat said, "Our delegation, this morning, visited our fellow farmer brother Preetpal Singh. He was admitted to PJI Rohtak and is still receiving treatment there.”  

He also accused the Haryana Police of denying him better treatment after his admission into the hospital in Rohtak, as the hospital had referred him to PGI Chandigarh. However, he said that after the efforts of the legal team, the Punjab Haryana High Court had ordered him to be admitted to PGI Chandigarh. "We learnt from his family members that 14 to 16 police personnel assaulted him (in custody)...they tied a rope around his neck and dragged him around. He had marks on his neck," the farmer leader alleged, adding that Preetpal had suffered multiple injuries during custody. Mangat said that even for war criminals, such treatments are unacceptable.  

Tractor March Route And Traffic Advisory  

The tractors participating in the march will cover the Luharli Toll Plaza and Mahamaya Flyover. To ease the expected traffic along these roads, commuters passing through Chilla border to Delhi have been advised to take Sector 14A flyover via Golchakkar Chowk Sector-15, and vehicles from the DND border can use the elevated route via the Film City flyover in Sector 18, while those coming from Kalindi Kunj border may use Mahamaya flyover via Sector 37. Others crossing the Yamuna Expressway are advised to opt for the metro or alternative paths.  

Yesterday, the Delhi police slightly eased the traffic curbs by partially removing barricades along the Singhu and Tikri borders as the farmers’ protest was on hold.  

Two Weeks Of Farmers’ Protest  

Farmers have gathered and set up camps at various points along the borders of the national capital since February 13, accompanied by their tractors, mini-vans, and pickup trucks. Their demands include, among others, the enactment of a law ensuring the Minimum Support Price (MSP) and the withdrawal of police cases against farmers involved in previous protests.  

In the latest round of discussions, which concluded well past midnight on February 18, a trio of Union ministers proposed the procurement of five crops—moong dal, urad dal, tur dal, maize, and cotton—at MSP for a duration of five years through central agencies. Despite the offer, the protesting farmers rejected the proposal and returned to their protest sites.