Chandigarh, March 20 — Following the eviction of protesting farmers from the Shambhu and Khanauri inter-state borders, Haryana police on Thursday began removing cemented barricades installed to block Punjab farmers from heading to Delhi during their February 2023 protest.
The move came a day after Punjab police detained farmer leaders Sarwan Singh Pandher of the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha and Jagjit Singh Dallewal of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) while they were returning from Chandigarh. The two had attended talks with a central delegation, including Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Chouhan, which ended in a deadlock. The next round of negotiations is scheduled for May 4.
At the Shambhu border, JCB machines were deployed to clear the concrete blocks and reopen the Shambhu-Ambala stretch of the highway, which has been closed for over a year. “We aim to clear the Patiala-Delhi highway by this evening,” said Patiala Range Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Mandeep Singh. Farmers are being allowed to retrieve their tractor-trolleys after providing their residential address and mobile number.
On the Haryana side, Jind police began removing cement blocks near Datta Singhwala, while Narwana Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Amit Bhatia said efforts were underway to restore traffic on the Patiala-Delhi highway.
Over 3,000 police personnel have been deployed on the Punjab side of the Khanauri border, officials said.
