Chandigarh, March 20 (IANS) After evicting farmers who had been staging a sit-in protest for over a year and had raised temporary structures on two crucial borders linking Punjab with Haryana, the police used bulldozers to remove the concrete barricades to restrict the movement of farmers.
In a major crackdown, after detaining several union leaders, including Jagjit Singh Dallewal and Sarwan Singh Pandher, on Wednesday evening, the Punjab Police used mild force to disperse those gathered at the Shambhu and Khanauri protest sites on the Punjab-Haryana border.
Late in the night, the Haryana Police removed preventive barricades. However, the highway on both the border points is still shut.
The police, who faced mild resistance, detained over 300 protesters, including the 28-member delegation, hours after the third round of talks with the Central government panel ended in Chandigarh.
At the meeting, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan reiterated the Centre’s commitment to the welfare of farmers. The next meeting is scheduled for May 4.
The national highways had been blocked since February 13, 2024, for traffic. After whisking away the protesters, the police have been removing tractor-trailers parked both at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders.
While 200 farmers were detained at Khanauri, and over 100 were held at Shambhu. The Internet and electricity were temporarily shut in and around both protest sites.
Senior Superintendent of Police Nanak Singh told the media on Wednesday that farmers had been protesting at Shambhu for a long time. “Today (March 19), in the presence of Duty Magistrates, the police cleared the area after they were given proper warning. A few people showed a willingness to go home. In addition, the structures and vehicles here are being moved. The entire road will be cleared and opened for traffic.”
BJP leader and Union Minister Ravneet Bittu spoke to Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini about clearing the route as the Punjab government removed farmers from the borders.
After meeting the farm leaders on Wednesday, Union Minister Chouhan told the media in Chandigarh that talks were held in a constructive manner and they will go on. The farmer leaders reiterated their long-pending demands, including a legal guarantee on the minimum support price (MSP) for crops.
The government and the farmers had a constructive and cordial discussion lasting more than three hours, during which various legal, economic and other dimensions of the farmers’ demands were explored and highlighted, an official statement said.
Chouhan was joined by his Cabinet colleagues Pralhad Joshi and Piyush Goyal, while Punjab was represented by Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian. Farmer leaders, including Jagjit Singh Dallewal, were present.
Based on discussions, the government has decided to conduct consultations with farmer organisations across the country, as well as with governments of states and union territories, and other stakeholders including traders, exporters and the food processing industry.
It has been decided to continue the talks in a positive spirit after the stakeholder consultations.
Justifying the government action, Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Cheema said the step was necessitated for the economic growth of the state.
“It is important that we fight against unemployment too,” he added.
Also, before the police action, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Malvinder Singh Kang called for a collaborative and constructive approach to resolve the ongoing issues faced by farmers.
He highlighted that Punjab’s borders have been blocked for over a year, leading to significant economic losses, reduced investments, and a decline in tourism.
“The closure of Punjab’s borders, particularly at Shambhu, has not only created economic hardships but also affected religious tourism. The number of devotees visiting sacred places like Darbar Sahib has declined. Furthermore, the biggest challenge is the lack of investment, which is directly tied to industrial growth and employment generation. This is a pressing issue as unemployment is one of the root causes of drug abuse in Punjab,” he said.
–IANS
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