To mark the completion of seven months of the ongoing protest against the Centre’s three farm laws, thousands of farmers mainly comprising women and youngsters, on Saturday, marched towards Chandigarh from Punjab and Haryana to submit memorandums to the respective Governors.
Farmers from Haryana stopped well ahead of entering Chandigarh from the Panchkula side, while those from Punjab entered Chandigarh after breaking police barricades and facing water cannons and marched close to the Raj Bhavan of Punjab.
The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) had announced to observe June 26 as "Kheti bachao, loktantra bachao" (save farming, save democracy) day on the completion of seven months of the farmers' protest and the 47th anniversary of Emergency in India.
Gurnam Charuni, the leader of the Haryana unit of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), who was leading the protest, had appealed that the protest would be peaceful and would submit a memorandum to the President of India through the Governor.
He had also announced that they would sit peacefully at the entry point if police would not allow them to enter Chandigarh.
Accordingly, they stopped ahead of entering Chandigarh and submitted the memorandum for Haryana Governor Satyadev Narayan Arya through a government official.
Likewise, the police managed to convince protesting farmers from Punjab, who were marching from Mohali towards the Governor's residence in Chandigarh, to hand over their memorandum to them for further submission to Governor V.P. Singh Badnore.
Fearing disruption of law and order situation, heavy barricading and security have been deployed in and around Chandigarh.
The protesting farmers, raising slogans against the central government, were carrying farm union flags and riding on tractors and cars and many of them were walking on foot.
En route to Chandigarh, both from Punjab and Haryana, special 'langars' or community kitchens were organised for the protesting farmers by locals.
"Our protest will continue till the three black farm laws are not revoked," said Gurjit Kaur, a protester who came from Ludhiana city in Punjab along with her friends to participate in the protest.
She said her parents have been camping at Singhu border of Delhi since November 26 last year.
Another protester Gurjot Kaur said the coronavirus pandemic was not a threat to them, so they don't need masks. "The real threat is from Centre's farm laws as they favour corporate interests and will destroy our livelihoods."
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As per police estimates, the number of protesters entered Chandigarh from Punjab could be 10,000 with sizeable number of youngsters and women.
Similar protests were held by farm unions in both Punjab and Haryana in all district headquarters.
The farmers are protesting against the farm laws as they feel that these laws would pave the way for the dismantling of the minimum support price (MSP) system, leaving them at the mercy of big corporate entities.