Delhi Police orders 30,000 tear gas shells in anticipation of farmers' protest march towards the capital

The Delhi Police has placed an order for over 30,000 tear gas shells to augment its supplies for preventing farmers from entering the national capital as part of the ongoing 'Dilli Chalo' protest.

A PTI report citing police sources states that, as part of their preparation, Delhi Police has already accumulated a sizable supply of tear gas shells and has requested an additional 30,000 from the BSF's Tear Smoke Unit in Tekanpur, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh.

Emphasising the determination of the police force under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to restrict protesters from entering the national capital, the news report adds that the recently ordered tear gas shells are being transported from Gwalior to Delhi.

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Farmers are staging a protest at Ambala, near the Shambhu border between Punjab and Haryana. They are calling for the fulfilment of a number of requests, including loan waivers and a legal guarantee on the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops.

As the Haryana Police barricades the state border to prevent the farmers' progress towards Delhi, tear gas shells have been employed, with reports indicating the use of drones to deploy some of them on the protesters.

Several farmers and journalists covering the protests have been hospitalised due to injuries from baton charges. There are reports of pellet guns being used by the Haryana Police, causing injuries to the protesters.

As per the report, Delhi Police has made logistical arrangements to halt the farmers at the Singhu (Sonipat side), Tikri (Bahadurgarh side), and Ghazipur (Ghaziabad side) borders. Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) have already been imposed across the national capital for a month, prohibiting assembly of five or more people, rallies, demonstrations, and the entry of tractor-trolleys carrying people.

Bharat Bandh on Friday

In light of the 'Bharat Bandh' that farmerunions have called for this Friday, the Gautam Buddh Nagar Police simultaneously announced the implementation of restrictions under CrPC Section 144 throughout the district, including a prohibition on unannounced public meetings.

Watch:Farmers Protest India: Security ramped up in Delhi

Commuters have been cautioned about potential traffic diversions in Noida, with a suggestion to opt for the metro rail service to minimise inconvenience.

(With inputs from agencies)