Traffic resumes at Shambhu border, Khanauri set to open; angry farmers protest

Chandigarh: A day after Punjab Police detained protesting farmers and demolished their temporary structures, traffic resumed on the Shambhu-Ambala Highway on Thursday after more than a year, and Khanauri border point is also set to open, with Haryana Police removing roadblocks on their side of the road.

The road clearance exercise continued even as angry farmers held protests at several places in Punjab including Moga, Tarn Taran, Muktsar and Faridkot against the last evening crackdown on the protesters.

A group of farmers, including women, entered into a scuffle with police personnel in Moga while on their way to hold a protest outside the deputy commissioner's office.

Meanwhile, in a statement issued in Delhi, the Aam Aadmi Party reaffirmed its support to farmers but emphasised the urgent need to reopen key roads to protect Punjab's economy.

The protesting farmers lashed out at the AAP government for detaining their leaders and removing protesters from the Shambhu and Khanauri border points, where they had been camping since February 13 last year after their march to Delhi was thwarted by security personnel.

As the protests got stretched, farmers built temporary structures on the highway to accommodate protesters and sustain their agitation.

Haryana Police had fortified the border points with cement blocks, iron nails and barbed wire to scuttle any attempt by the farmers from Punjab to move towards the national capital. Thus, the traffic on the Shambhu-Ambala and Sangrur-Jind roads remained closed for over a year.

On Thursday, security personnel from Haryana removed the cement barricades on their side of Shambhu-Ambala Highway, opening the road for traffic, while barricading on the road at the Khanauri border point is still being removed.

Earlier in the day, Punjab Police resumed its operation to dismantle the remaining part of the temporary structures on the Punjab side of the Shambhu and the Khanauri points to clear the roads. Police took trolleys to an open ground so farmers could later take them by showing their identity proofs.

Meanwhile, farmers claimed that those detained have started a hunger strike in protest against the police action.

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha -- the two organisations spearheading the protests -- have announced to hold dharnas outside the offices of deputy commissioners in protest against the Punjab Police crackdown.

Both the bodies slammed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab for evicting the protesters and detaining farmer leaders on Wednesday.

Criticising the police action, a group of farmers held a protest in Gidderbaha in Muktsar district while another group, also comprising women, entered into a scuffle with police personnel in Moga while going to protest outside the DCP office.

Protests also took place in Faridkot, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur and Bhawanigarh.

Punjab Police detained several farmer leaders, including Sarwan Singh Pandher and Jagjit Singh Dallewal, in Mohali on Wednesday as they were returning after a meeting with a central delegation led by Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Chandigarh.

The meeting discussed the various demands of the farmers, especially a law guaranteeing minimum support price (MSP) for crops. As the departing farmers entered Mohali after the meeting, they were met with heavy barricading and some of their leaders were detained.

Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Thursday said the AAP government is committed to generate employment by attracting industries. "But because of the closure of the two highways at Shambhu and Khanauri border points for more than a year, Punjab's trade has been hit hard." "We appeal to farmers that we stand by them. Their demands are concerned with Centre. You hold any protest against the Centre we are with you. But do not destroy Punjab and do not shut Punjab's highways," said Cheema.

He stressed that Punjab is currently waging a battle against drugs, and providing employment opportunities to youths is essential for winning this fight.

"Employment can only be generated if industries come to Punjab. But for more than a year, our Shambhu and Khanauri borders were closed and Punjab was facing losses. In 2003, Punjab had the maximum contribution in the GDP. And today, Punjab has dropped to the 19th place," he said.

Earlier, Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC) leader Satnam Singh Pannu condemned the police action, and accused the Punjab government of being "hand-in-glove" with the Centre in launching the crackdown on the protesting farmers.

"It was the murder of democratic rights. The farmers wanted to go to Delhi but the Haryana government barricaded the roads at the Centre's behest," Pannu alleged.

Meanwhile, farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who is on an indefinite fast since November 26 last year, was taken to the Punjab Institute of Medical Sciences in Jalandhar. Later, he was taken to PWD Rest House in Jalandhar.