Protesting farmers stopped at Shambhu, police preventing attempt of 'pakka morcha'

The protesting members of the Quami Insaaf Morcha (QIM) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) have maintained that they will remain at Shambhu border till evening, if they are not allowed to proceed towards Delhi.

However, preempting any attempt of "Pakka Morcha" similar to the one witnessed during the 2024- 2025 Kisan Andolan 2.0, the police is not letting any trolley be parked on the road. Instead, the protesting farmers who have managed to reach the site in their trollies have been told to park their vehicles in a vacant plot.

The small town of Rajpura has been turned into a fortress with heavy police force guarding both sides of the highway as activists of both unions began assembling at the Shambhu border.

Some farmers and QIM supporters, holding flags, were stopped by the police at Rajpura, where heavy barricading has been put in place.

Traffic between Rajpura and the Shambhu border has been halted, and the police have diverted vehicles through Patran and Ghanaur for commuters travelling towards Ambala and Delhi. Meanwhile, commuters travelling from Mohali and Chandigarh have been told to take the Ambala- Zirakpur route.

Patiala SSP Varun Sharma reviewed the security arrangements on Friday and issued instructions to ensure that no untoward incident takes place. “Patiala Police remain committed to maintaining peace and safety across the district,” the official stated.

Authorities in Punjab and Haryana have already issued traffic advisories ahead of the November 14 ‘Dilli Chalo’ march called by QIM and farmer outfits. According to the Punjab Police advisory, the Shambhu border on the Rajpura–Ambala–Delhi highway will remain shut from 7 am to 6 pm on Friday, with commuters asked to take alternative routes.

Despite the closure, convoys of vans, cars, tractor-trolleys and buses carrying QIM and KMM members began moving towards Shambhu on Friday morning.

The two-day march has been called to raise many issues, particularly Sikh political prisoners.

As the first trolley reached Shambhu, the police stopped it and directed the driver to park on the service road. “We are on our way to Shambhu as we have to reach the Prime Minister’s residence in Delhi. We are going to our national capital. Let’s see what they will do,” said one of the participants.

Earlier in March, the police had evicted protesters from the Shambhu and Khanauri morchas, clearing the year-long blockade that had become a nightmare for commuters. The previous agitation sought a legal guarantee on MSP.