Tractor trollies have queued up for as long as seven kilometers at the Shambhu barrier on the Punjab-Haryana border as farmers are in no mood to relent in their march to Delhi. The protest is led by a faction group of the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), which played a decisive role in the 2020 farmers’ protest, along with the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC).

The crowd has swelled manifold since visuals spread across the media showing security forces using tear gas and other excessive force to halt the farmers’ Delhi Chalo call, which began on February 13. The scene at the Shambhu barrier is an exact replay of the farmers’ protests in 2020 outside Delhi borders. The Shambhu and Khanauri borders of Punjab and Haryana, which witnessed violent skirmishes between protesting farmers and Haryana police amid heavy tear gas shelling for two days in a row, saw a total lull today in view of the talks held between farmer leaders and Union ministers this evening. The two sides had previously discussed the issues on February 8th,12th and 15th but the outcome remained inconclusive.

Farmers from Punjab are camping at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders of Punjab and Haryana and are aiming to reach Delhi to force the Centre to agree to their terms. However, they have said that no fresh attempt to move ahead will be made till the meeting is held. The next course of action will be decided based on the outcome of the meeting. Haryana Police have sealed the border with barricades to stop farmers from entering Delhi on their tractor trolleys. Farmers at the Shambhu border near Ambala also took to flying kites hoping to bring down drones deployed by Haryana Police to drop tear gas shells near the border.