Chandigarh, 16 Feb

Haryana Police on Friday fired tear gas shells to disperse protesting farmers when they moved towards the barricades at the Shambhu border near Ambala, a day after talks between Union ministers and farmer leaders remained inconclusive.

The fresh confrontation comes on the fourth day of the farmers' 'Delhi Chalo' march, called by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, to press the government to accept their demands, including a legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) for crops.

Amid the impasse, the Union ministers and farmer leaders will meet on February 18 for the fourth round of talks. The two sides met on February 8, 12 and 15 as well but those talks remained inconclusive.

The Haryana Police on Friday released a series of video clips of several farmers purportedly pelting stones and attempting to provoke the security personnel at the Shambhu border.  In its post on X, the police asserted that "ruckus" cannot be allowed under the guise of the farmers' movement. They said that 25 security personnel -- 18 of Haryana Police and seven paramilitary force jawans -- were injured in these clashes. In one of the videos shared by the Haryana Police on X, many young protesters with faces covered could be seen hurling stones at the security personnel. In another video, protesters could be seen collecting stones to throw at the security personnel.

Meanwhile, farmer leaders spearheading the 'Delhi Chalo' call claimed that the Haryana security personnel used "force" against protesters by hurling tear gas shells and firing rubber bullets at them, leaving many injured. Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher accused the Centre of trying to "suppress" the voices of the protesters, claiming social media accounts of farmers and YouTubers have been suspended.

The farmers from Punjab began their march to Delhi on Tuesday but were stopped by security personnel at Shambhu and Khanauri points on Punjab's border with Haryana. The protesters have stayed put at the two border points since then. On the fourth day of the protest, a 63-year-old farmer, who was among the protesters at the Shambhu border, died of a heart attack on Friday.

According to officials, Gian Singh, from Punjab's Gurdaspur district, complained of chest pain in the morning and was taken to the Civil Hospital in Punjab's Rajpura. From there, he was rushed to Rajindra Hospital in Patiala where doctors declared him brought dead. Talking to reporters on Friday, Pandher said that during the meeting with Union ministers a day ago, "we raised the issue of the suspension of Internet and Twitter (now X) handles of farmer leaders".

Also alleging that the government has suspended the accounts of around 70 YouTubers who were showing the farmers' protest, he said it appears "the government wants to suppress our voice." Pandher said that during the talks, they raised the issue of the use of "force" against farmers by the paramilitary personnel who fired tear gas shells at the protesters. He claimed that around 70 farmers have sustained serious injuries.

The farmer leader said the talks with the Union ministers were held in a positive atmosphere and various demands of the protesters, including a law on MSP and debt waiver, were discussed.

The government said they wanted to continue talks, Pandher said, adding that their 'Delhi Chalo' call still stands and the protesters were staying put at the Punjab-Haryana border so that a solution emerges through talks.