Punjab Police crackdown at Shambhu Border: Farmer leaders detained, protest sites razed

The Punjab Police on Wednesday removed protesting farmers from the Punjab-Haryana Shambhu border and dismantled temporary structures erected at the protest site. Several farmer leaders, including Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who was on an indefinite hunger strike, and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha leader Sarvan Singh Pandher, were taken into custody. The police action came amid the ongoing standoff between farmers and the central government over various demands, including a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP).

 Punjab Minister Harpal Singh Cheema defended the move, saying it was necessary to reopen the Shambhu and Khanauri borders, which have remained blocked for over a year. Cheema reiterated that the farmers’ demands are directed at the Centre, not the state government, and urged them to shift their protest to Delhi. “When trade resumes, youth will find employment and stay away from drugs. The people of Punjab supported the farmers during the agitation against the three black laws. But now, keeping roads blocked is hurting the state,” he said.

Opposition parties, however, criticised the crackdown. Congress MP Amarinder Singh Raja Warring accused both the Centre and the AAP-led Punjab government of trying to isolate and weaken the farmers’ movement. He claimed the leaders were misled with the promise of dialogue before being detained.

Senior Congress leader Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa also hit out at Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, calling the police action excessive and urging the government to stand with the farmers instead of suppressing them. Shiromani Akali Dal MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal accused the CM of betrayal and claimed no one in Punjab feels secure under the current government. Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu also condemned the police action, saying the AAP government was attempting to score political points ahead of the Ludhiana West bypoll.

Meanwhile, a meeting between farmer leaders and Union Ministers in Chandigarh was termed “positive”, with the next round of talks scheduled for May 4.