Punjab Police Clears Shambhu Border Protest Site, Farmers Condemn Action
Until Wednesday, temporary shelters and trolleys lined the Shambhu border, providing refuge to farmers who had been protesting along the Shambhu-Ambala highway for over a year. However, following a crackdown by Punjab Police, these structures were demolished using JCB machines to clear the road for traffic movement.
Though most of the makeshift shelters were dismantled, a few trolleys remained on the roadside. A police officer stated that farmers had been instructed to retrieve their belongings. The eviction followed the detention of farmer leaders Jagjit Singh Dallewal and Sarwan Singh Pandher in Mohali on Wednesday. As a result, Punjab Police forcibly removed protesters from the Shambhu and Khanauri border points.
A Deserted Protest Site
By Thursday, the once-bustling protest site had turned into a deserted stretch, littered with utensils, LPG cylinders, tea kettles, freezers, washing machines, chairs, tables, beds, and clothes. A temporary kitchen set up by the farmers still had unused vegetables, dal, milk, and other essentials left behind.
The shelters and platforms, which had served as meeting points for the protesters, were now reduced to rubble. Trolleys—once used as makeshift homes—lay scattered across the road. Authorities maintained that farmers were welcome to reclaim their belongings. Meanwhile, JCB machines continued their work on Thursday, demolishing any remaining structures to ensure the smooth resumption of traffic on the Shambhu-Ambala highway.
Crackdown on Farmer Leaders
The crackdown followed the detention of several farmer leaders in Mohali on Wednesday. Among them were Sarwan Singh Pandher and Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who were taken into custody while returning from a meeting with a central delegation led by Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Chandigarh.
In response, farmer leaders condemned the police action, criticizing the Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab government for evicting them.
Government Justifies Eviction
Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema defended the police action, citing economic losses due to the prolonged highway blockade.
"Industries and businesses have been severely affected. These highways are the lifelines of Punjab, and their closure has led to economic hardship," Cheema stated. He emphasized that while the Punjab government supports the farmers’ demands, their fight is primarily with the Centre.
"We have repeatedly told the farmer leaders that their issue is with the Central Government, not Punjab. Blocking borders is only harming the state's economy," he added.
Farmers' Demands and Protest History
The protests, led by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, began on February 13 last year after security forces prevented their march to Delhi. Since then, they had been camping at the Shambhu (Shambhu-Ambala) and Khanauri (Sangrur-Jind) border points, demanding, among other things, a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP) on crops.
With the eviction, the fate of the year-long agitation remains uncertain as tensions continue to rise between farmer unions and the Punjab government.
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