Many youth workers were later taken into preventive custody, the police said
Haryana Police on Wednesday used water cannons in Panipat to stop a Haryana Youth Congress-led rally from proceeding to Delhi to protest against the Centre's farm reform bills.
Indian Youth Congress president Srinivas BV also participated in a "tractor rally" which was stopped by the police at a barricade in Panipat district. However, when some workers tried to cross the barricade, police used water cannons to disperse them.
Many youth workers were later taken into preventive custody, the police said.
The rally, in which, youth Congress leaders claimed, many farmers were also participating, was to proceed from Panipat to Delhi, where they were to gherao the Parliament, to register their protest against the farm bills, which they dubbed as anti-farmer.
Earlier on Sunday, the Haryana Police had used a water cannon to stop Punjab Youth Congress workers from entering the Ambala district and travelling ahead to Delhi as part of their tractor rally against the farm bills.
Srinivas BV and Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar had also taken part in that tractor rally.
The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 were passed by both Houses of Parliament, amid protests by opposition parties, including the Congress, TMC, DMK and the Left, besides some farmers' groups.
The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020, was passed in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)