Punjab Government justifies action at farmer protest sites, cites intelligence on potential violence

Justifying its action, the State of Punjab on Monday informed the Punjab and Haryana High Court that intelligence inputs indicated a potential escalation at the farmer protest sites in Shambhu and Khanauri. There were credible warnings suggesting that the protesting farmers might attempt to breach barricades and resume their march toward Delhi.

An affidavit, submitted by Patiala Senior Superintendent of Police Nanak Singh, stated that intelligence gathered from various sources, including the State's intelligence wing, pointed that the “farmers were likely to make a violent attempt at breaching the barricading. The situation reportedly worsened after a meeting held on March 19 between leaders of protesting farmer organisations and a Union Government delegation led by the Union Agriculture Minister. It was deemed a "failure" by farmer representatives. Even key protest leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal attended the meeting while being medically monitored in an ambulance provided by the Punjab Government, in compliance with Supreme Court directions.”

The affidavit added the Punjab Government took pre-emptive steps on the intervening night of March 19-20 while acting on the “critical and alarming inputs suggesting likelihood of breach of peace at the protest sites”.

The state police and local administration worked to disperse the protesting farmers from Shambhu and Khanauri without resorting to “strong force whatsoever”. The action was necessary to prevent a breach of peace and to ease hardships faced by the general public due to prolonged roadblocks.

The affidavit added that the decision to clear the protest sites was in line with the Supreme Court’s directives, which had encouraged state authorities to manage the situation.

“Various orders passed by the Supreme Court would reveal that not only were the states of Punjab and Haryana, through their relevant instrumentalities, expected to remedy the on-ground situation and to bring an end to the impasse—they were, in fact, encouraged to continue to do so and they were, in fact, appreciated for the same, at certain instances of the proceedings…,” the affidavit added.

The affidavit was submitted in response to a habeas corpus petition for Dallewal’s release. Petitioner-farmer leader Gurmukh Singh through counsel Gurmohan Preet Singh, Angrej Singh and Kanwarjit Singh, had contended that Dallewal was allegedly in illegal custody by the respondents.