Hundreds of protesting farmers, both men and women, mainly from the agrarian state of Punjab, gathered along borders of the national capital for a planned protest against the government's new farm laws which they feel are detrimental to their interests.

"We are the backbone of the country. But it is really sad that how these security people are treating us like an enemy," said protester Rajdeep Kaur, daughter of a farmer from Punjab's Sangrur district, while pointing towards a police contingent.

Like Kaur, a sea of protesters inspired by the thoughts of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, are shouting slogans 'Inquilab Zindabad' at the protest site.

Even many of them were seen carrying a photo of Shaheed Bhagat Singh.

"We travelled from Amritsar peacefully. As we reached the Haryana border, we had major scuffles with Haryana Police at several points," said farmer Gurdev Singh, who belonged to the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) Ekta- Dakaunda faction.

He said the revolutionary spirit of the farmers has emerged victorious. "We managed to cross all hurdles despite the heavy deployment of men and the use of water cannons and tear gas."

Echoed another farmer Jarnail Singh, "Even my single hand is enough to shake the Modi regime that doesn't care about the farmers. Yeh inquilab hai (This is a revolution)."

Holding a yellow flag, Jarnail Singh, who lost his hand in his childhood after sticking it into a combine harvester, was shouting, "Ekta Zindabaad".

"Age doesn't matter but your passion does," remarked octogenarian Nachattar Kaur who reached here after travelling two days on a tractor-trailer from a village in Gurdaspur district along with his eight-year-old great-grandson, who was holding a flag.

The farmers believe the free food is important to help sustain the protest movement for long. The dry foodstuff they have gathered is enough to last three-four months because they know not when their protests will bear fruits.

Weeks ahead of the starting their 'Delhi Chalo' journey, every day tens of thousands of people, largely womenfolk and children, were collecting essentials, largely woollens, wheat flour, rice, lentils and other beans, from village to village in the state.

Several artists, singers, ex-servicemen, trader organisations, commission agents and youth clubs had joined the campaign to mobilise people to launch the biggest offensive against the  "exploitative" agriculture laws.

Expressing solidarity with the farmers for the police 'brutality' against them, Ruby Sahota, Member of Parliament for Brampton North, Canada, tweeted: "The determination and resilience of the farmers are admirable.

"In a free and just society one should be able to advocate for their cause without the threat of force being used against them. The brutality being faced by Indian farmers in these images is deplorable."

(IANS)