Shambhu, Khanauri protest sites cleared in crackdown on farmers

In a major crackdown on protesting farmers, the Punjab Government today detained several union leaders, including Jagjit Singh Dallewal, Sarwan Singh Pandher and Manjit Rai, and used mild force to apprehend and disperse those gathered at the Shambhu and Khanauri protest sites on the Punjab-Haryana border.

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The police action came less than an hour after farm union leaders were returning from Chandigarh to the protest sites following a four-hour meeting with three central ministers.

As soon as the leaders were detained and whisked away, thousands of police personnel, stationed since last night at Banur (near Shambhu) and Ladda Kothi (near Khanauri), moved in to clear the protest sites. After a minor lathicharge, the police apprehended hundreds of farmers and dismantled their camps using bulldozers.

While Pandher and Rai were taken into custody in Zirakpur, Dallewal, who has been on an indefinite fast since November last year, was detained near Bestech Mall in Mohali. Dallewal was inside an ambulance, which the police took away after a minor scuffle with his supporters.

Dallewal was shifted to Patiala in the ambulance while other leaders, including Pandher, Rai, Kaka Singh Kotra, PT John, Abhimanyu Kohar, Sukhwinder Kaur, Onkar Bhangala, Dilbagh Singh Harigarh, Dilbagh Singh Gill, Sukhjit Singh Hardojhande, Inderjit Singh Kotbudda and Jarnail Singh Chahal, were taken to Bahadurgarh. Sources said Dallewal might be shifted to a hospital in Ludhiana. The sources said police teams had started following the union leaders as soon as they stepped out of the meeting venue in Chandigarh.

While the crackdown has drawn the ire of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha and political leaders, including Union Minister of State Ravneet Bittu and former CM Charanjit Channi, industry captains have hailed the action.

Badish Jindal, president of the World MSME Forum, said the government punishing farmers for illegal activities and road blockades was a “welcome step”. Interestingly, multiple sources have told The Tribune that the decision to lift the blockades by farmers, protesting for nearly 400 days now, was taken on Monday night when top functionaries of the Punjab Government and ruling Aam Aadmi Party met industry leaders in Ludhiana.

The industrialists had complained that the economic sentiment in the state was at its lowest because the blockades were impacting the movement of goods.

Responding to the crackdown, Industry Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond said Punjab had suffered massive losses due to the closure of highways. “Our government has always supported the farmers, but blockades hit the industry, which, in turn, affects business growth and employment generation,” he said.

Action after industry slams blockades

• The decision to remove the blockades of farmers, protesting for nearly 400 days, is learnt to have been taken on Monday
• night Top functionaries of the Punjab Government and ruling Aam Aadmi Party had met industry leaders in Ludhiana
• The industrialists had complained that the economic sentiment was at its lowest due to the blockades

Next meeting with Centre on May 4

• Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Chouhan said the discussions were held in a cordial atmosphere and the next round was set for May 4
• The Central team said inter-ministerial consultations were required to discuss the demands of the farmers
• IAS officer Puran Chandra Krishan has been appointed the nodal officer for the talks

Finance Minister Harpal Cheema also said the AAP government stood firmly with the farmers, but the closure of highways was hurting the economy. “The demands of farmers are related to the Centre. Therefore, they must not hurt Punjab’s economy,” he said.

The sources said even during the meeting between farmer leaders and Union Ministers Shivraj Singh Chouhan (Agriculture), Piyush Goyal (Industry and Commerce) and Pralhad Joshi (Consumer Affairs and Food and Public Distribution), the state government representatives, including former police officer Jaskaran Singh and ministers Gurmeet Singh Khudian and Lal Chand Kataruchak, had asked the 28-member farm delegation to lift the blockade. The appeal was declined.

At the meeting, the only point of discussion was the demand for a legal guarantee on the MSP of crops. The central ministers today again expressed their doubts over the data submitted by the farmers. Goyal said at least Rs 12 lakh crore was needed for the MSP even as the farmers had quoted Rs 24,000 crore. He again questioned the source of their data, which, the farmers claimed, had been taken from the Reserve Bank of India and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.

It was then decided that inter-ministerial consultations were required between various central ministries. IAS officer Puran Chandra Krishan was appointed as nodal officer for the discussions. After the meeting, Chouhan said the discussions were held in a cordial atmosphere and the next round would be conducted on May 4.

The clearing of the protest sites, meanwhile, has raised hopes for reopening of the Punjab-Haryana border roads after over a year. Patiala SSP Nanak Singh said the traffic would be restored on the highways soon. Union Minister Bittu too spoke to Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, who said three days were needed for the restoration.