Central Government. Almost 15,000 Policemen were guarding the Raj Bhavan. Chandigarh being the capital of both the States of Punjab and Haryana, both States had their independent Raj Bhavans in Chandigarh. This particular gherao was around the Punjab Raj Bhavan. On the afternoon of subsequent day, 13 March, there was a joint meeting of all farmers. It was decided to have one joint meeting like that every day. In that meeting the farmers from Maharashtra were given a warm send-off. It was already decided that since they had to travel a long distance they would leave on the second day. Their participation was basically to show the solidarity of all farmers and that purpose was well-served. Almost all speakers appreciated their presence and assured that, “Whenever you have a similar stir in Maharashtra, we shall be with you.” The gherao continued and on the subsequent days of 14, 15 and 16 the tension amongst the farmers kept mounting. On one occasion a news item was broadcast on the radio about a function Governor had attended in Ludhiana. Obviously the Governor had sneaked out in the wee hours of the morning and must have returned sometime at night without the surrounding farmers having any clue. This infuriated the farmers and some untoward incident might have taken place. But somehow Joshi and other leaders pacified them. They were clear that this had to be a peaceful agitation. However, the government had not come forward to start any talks. Probably it thought that if neglected, farmers would get tired and disperse; eager to return to their homes. But farmers were in no mood to end the struggle until their demands were met. The villagers staying nearby used to come every day with supplies of fresh milk and fruit. Tractors filled with parathas and vegetables came continuously. Everyday there would be speeches to keep their morale high, a lot of reciting from Joshi in Punjab
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