Punjab police detained some of the farmer leaders, including Sarwan Singh Pandher and Jagjit Singh Dallewal, on their way to join already-scheduled protests at Shambhu and Khanauri borders. The detentions happened in Mohali amid clashes with security forces, following a meeting of a central delegation led by Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
Farmers had set up temporary structures at Punjab-Haryana borders but were razed by police, who tore down theses structures and arrested more protesters. Many farmers have been living at the borders because they were not permitted to go to Delhi to voice their demands.
“Farmers have been protesting at the Shambhu Border for a long time.”. Police cleared the area today after issuing proper notices in the presence of Duty Magistrates, a senior police official in Patiala said. Some individuals volunteered to go and were escorted back home by bus, he said. The police wanted to vacate the roads entirely so that traffic could be resumed. “No force was used because farmers had cooperated and boarded the buses voluntarily,” he added.
Punjab Minister Harpal Singh Cheema emphasized the need for reopening the Shambhu and Khanauri borders. “The demands of farmers are placed before the central government, and they should protest at Delhi or anywhere else but not at Punjab roadblocks,” he stated.
Congress MP Charanjit Singh Channi criticized the arrests as an “attack” on farm workers. Shiromani Akali Dal leader Daljit Singh Cheema criticized the arrests, calling them “highly undemocratic and illogical,” and demanded an explanation from Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann about the arrests.
Despite the interaction between the farmers and the central delegation, it concluded without a resolution. Chouhan mentioned that the discussions were taking place in a “very positive environment.” The current agitations are a consequence of increasing remoteness between farmer communities and the government officials.
