Patiala turns fortress to deter Punjab farmers from reaching Shambhu police station
Punjab Police continued its statewide crackdown on farmer leaders and stepped up vigil in Patiala district on Tuesday to prevent protesters under the banner of Kisan Mazdoor Morcha and Samyukt Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) from heading to Shambhu police station on the border with Haryana for a day-long dharna. Police personnel stepped up vigil in Patiala district to prevent farm protesters from reaching Shambhu police station on the Punjab-Haryana border for a dharna on Tuesday. (HT Photo)
Police set up a naka (check-point) on National Highway 44 near Shambhu barrier to stop the farmers from reaching the police station, leading to traffic jams. Police personnel were checking every vehicle and allowing passage only to those headed toward Delhi or Haryana.
All roads leading to Shambhu police station were heavily barricaded. Senior police officers, including Patiala SSP Varun Sharma, were on the field, ensuring no protester reaches the police station.
The protest, spearheaded by Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, is in response to the police crackdown on March 19, when farmer leaders were detained after a meeting with Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Chandigarh and cleared off the Shambhu and Khanauri protest sites that they had been occupying since February 13, 2024, when their Delhi Chalo march was stopped en route to the national capital.
Farmers are demanding compensation for the items that had allegedly gone missing during the March 19 police crackdown at Shambhu, which they claimed were later traced with individuals linked to Aam Aadmi Party leaders and police personnel.
Patiala Police said that farmers wouldn't be allowed to hold protests outside the police station at any cost.
Patiala SSP Varun Sharma, who was at Shambhu, said, 'No one will be allowed to hold protests and harass the people. We will not allow farmers to disrupt law and order at any cost.'
Key farmer leaders, including Jagjit Singh Dallewal, were detained in various districts on Monday ahead of the protest.
KMM leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said, 'Punjab seems to have turned into a police state. Peaceful protests against the state government are not allowed.'
Chief minister Bhagwant Mann had warned protesters on Monday that legal action would be taken against those who disrupt public life and hinder the state's progress.
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