ABP journalist Jagwinder Patial was manhandled, heckled, and his earphone smashed by protesters at Shambhu border today, amid sloganeering of “Godi media murdabad” and “Godi media wapas jao”.  

A video of the incident showed Patial surrounded by protesting farmers sloganeering against him. Some of them eventually escorted him away from the crowd. 

Speaking to Newslaundry, those protesting against Patial said the media  “is not airing news in farmers’ interests, but against them”.  

Shambhu border in Haryana’s Ambala, enroute to Delhi, is presently a site of high-pitched tension between police forces and farmers who are heading to the national capital following the call for a ‘Delhi Chalo’ protest march. 

Farmers have stayed put at the Punjab-Haryana border despite the police firing tear gas shells – some by drone –and water cannons. Mobile services in the area have been suspended. The highway has been layered with barricades to stop the farmers from going to Delhi. The authorities also laced the roads with iron nails and barbed wires. 

This protest comes over two years after farmer groups called off their 13-month long agitation when the Modi government agreed to repeal three contentious farm laws and meet certain demands. 

Now, the farmers claim these demands haven’t been met and that cases against them are yet to be withdrawn. Their present demands include a law to ensure minimum support price for agricultural produce. 

Newslaundry had earlier reported that as per an RTI response, the Delhi police did not get any order to withdraw the 42 cases registered in the national capital during the 2020-2021 farmers’ agitation. Read here. And if you like our work, help us do more. Subscribe today.

This report was published with AI assistance.