Farmers' protest: Shambhu border partially reopens after 13 months; Punjab facing widespread unrest
PTC Web Desk: Punjab is witnessing widespread unrest following police action to clear farmers’ protests at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders. In response, farmers have taken to highways across the state, leading to clashes between police and protesters at multiple locations. The barricades at Shambhu and Khanauri borders, which had been in place for 13 months, are now being dismantled. The Punjab-to-Haryana lane of the Shambhu border has been reopened.
DIG Harmanbir Gill confirmed that commuters can now pass through this route, and efforts are underway to open the Ambala-to-Rajpura side as well.
Meanwhile, farmer leader jagjit Singh Dallewal has been relocated to the PWD Rest House in Jalandhar Cantonment, an Army-controlled area. After being detained on Wednesday afternoon, he was initially taken to PIMS Hospital in Jalandhar city for a medical check-up before being shifted to the rest house.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has convened an emergency Cabinet meeting at 7 pm on Thursday to discuss the ongoing farmers' agitation and the subsequent developments following the police crackdown.
As tensions escalate, farmers and police have clashed in at least four key locations across Punjab:
Moga: Farmers attempted to surround the DC office, prompting a strong police response. Protesters broke through barricades and even moved police vehicles aside, leading to a heated confrontation between farmers and cops.
Muktsar (Gidderbaha): Farmers attempted to block the Bathinda-Ganganagar highway. The police resorted to lathi-charge, dispersing the protesters and detaining several individuals.
Bathinda (Rampura Phul): Farmers tried to stage a highway blockade, but the police forcefully removed them. Their tractors were pushed aside to clear the route.
Faridkot: Protesters were detained by the police and removed from the highways.
Notably, after concluding their seventh round of talks with the Central Government in Chandigarh, Sarwan Singh Pandher of the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) and Jagjit Singh Dallewal of the SKM (non-political) were taken into custody.
Later, the Punjab Police cleared farmers from the Shambhu and Khanauri borders, detaining several farmers. The police also demolished makeshift sheds at the protest sites using bulldozers. Meanwhile, the route from Rajpura to Ambala has now been opened to traffic.
- PTC NEWS
