Farmers threaten to intensify stir after crackdown, arrests

New Delhi: Farmers’ associations in Punjab on Thursday threatened to escalate their protests following a police crackdown at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders, which led to the arrest of several leaders on Wednesday night.

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha announced a statewide ‘chakka jaam’ to protest the arrests of farmer leaders Jagjit Singh Dallewal, Sarwan Singh Pandher and others.

Both groups, which led the agitation at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders, criticised the AAP government in Punjab for evicting the protesters and detaining their leaders.

Following the eviction of farmers from border points by the Punjab Police, their counterparts in Haryana began removing cemented barricades that had been erected to prevent Punjab farmers from marching to Delhi.

Earth-moving machines were used to clear the concrete blocks and reopen the Shambhu-Ambala and Sangrur-Jind roads, which had been closed for over a year due to farmers camping there to press for demands such as a minimum support price (MSP) for their produce.

The Punjab Police dismantled the remaining temporary structures on their side of the Shambhu and Khanauri border points, clearing the roads for traffic. The Shambhu-Ambala Highway reopened after more than a year.

Several farmer leaders, including Dallewal, were detained in Mohali on Wednesday while returning from a meeting with a central delegation led by Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Chandigarh.

Meanwhile, Dallewal, who has been on an indefinite fast since November 26 last year, was admitted to the Punjab Institute of Medical Sciences in Jalandhar. Later, he was taken to another location.

Talks with Punjab govt

Samyukt Kisan Morcha leaders said that they have received a Punjab government invite for a meeting on Friday with Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian.