Farmers to block trains and intensify protest on day 3; Will probably hold talks with Center | today What we know so far

Farmers' protest: Union ministers will meet farmer leaders in Chandigarh for another round of talks as the standoff between protesters and police at the Punjab-Haryana border enters its third day.

Live updates of farmers' protest: To further intensify their protest, the agitating farmers on Thursday said they will block trains on several routes to press home their demands. The Bharatiya Kisan Union-Ugrahan (BKU-Ugrahan) is likely to block train routes from 12 noon to 4 pm on Thursday and train services are likely to be affected on Bathinda/Barnala route, Ludhiana/Jakhal/Delhi route, Rajpura/Delhi route and Amritsar/Fatehgarh Sahib route.

Farmer-Centre will probably talk again today

Meanwhile, Union ministers will meet farmer leaders in Chandigarh for another round of talks as the standoff between protesters and police at the Punjab-Haryana border enters its third day, marked by more clashes between the two sides.

At the Shambhu border point near Ambala, there was intermittent firing by security personnel on Delhi Chalo' protesters demanding minimum support price for their crops on Wednesday. Tear smoke was used when a group of farmers moved towards the barricades.

Strict security at Delhi's borders

Security personnel faced stone pelting by the protesters. A similar standoff continued at the Data Singhwala-Khanauri border in Haryana's Jind district.

But the situation remained less volatile compared to Tuesday when farmers tried to shift cement barriers at Shambhu with their tractors in a bid to push towards Delhi.

Farmer leaders claimed that more than a hundred protesters were injured on Tuesday, hit by rubber bullets and tear gas canisters. Police said 24 of their own men were injured in stone-pelting by demonstrators during the first day of the protest.

What farmers say about their encounter with Center

Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh committee leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said the meeting with ministers Arjun Munda, Piyush Goyal and Nityanand Rai will take place on Thursday at 5 pm.

This will be the third round of meetings between farmer leaders and the Center in Chandigarh after farmer organizations announced their plan to march to Delhi. The two previous meetings, held before the march began, remained inconclusive.

Know everything about 'Delhi Chalo' March

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha are leading the 'Delhi Chalo' agitation to put pressure on the Center for their demands, including a law on MSP, loan waiver and implementation of the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission.

Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda also held discussions in Delhi on addressing farmers' problems, sources said. Singh is a former Agriculture Minister.

The Congress again extended its support to the protest, with party leader Rahul Gandhi speaking to a farmer who was injured due to police action.

“I spoke on phone to former soldier Gurmeet Singh ji, who was seriously injured in police atrocities during the farmers' movement,” Gandhi wrote in Hindi on social media.

“We are on your side. Don't worry,” Gandhi told the farmer in the conversation delivered by Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring.

“You fight for what is important for the country. You have worked for the country before and you are doing the same now. 'Shabash' (well done). Good luck,” Gandhi told the farmer, decrying the “dictatorial attitude” of the Narendra Modi government.

Traffic jams observed at Delhi borders

Traffic between Delhi and Sonipat at Singhu and movement of vehicles to Bahadurgarh via Tikri have been suspended, an official said.

Security personnel in anti-riot gear are deployed and drones are used to monitor the situation. People had to cross the Singhu border on foot on Tuesday, while buses from Delhi dropped them off well before the Haryana border.

Back at the Shambhu border between Punjab and Haryana, protesters have arranged water tankers to combat eye irritation caused by tear smoke. They also flew kites, hoping it would disrupt the movement of a drone that was spotted again on Wednesday.