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Hindustan Times
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
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.
Hindustan Times
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
4 farmer leaders detained for bid to ‘disrupt' minister's event
Four leaders of the Bharti Kisan Union (BKU) Ekta-Azad were detained while they were allegedly trying to disrupt an event of cabinet minister Aman Arora in Longowal town, a Sangrur police officer said on Sunday. Among those detained are Jaswinder Singh Soma, a senior leader of the BKU Ekta-Azad, Kulwinder Singh Soni, Happy Singh Namol and Baljinder Singh Longowal. A senior police officer, wishing not to be named, said that after the minister reached the event, a group of farmers was directed by a few union leaders to gherao him so the police had to detain them. The police officer said the farmers wanted to meet the minister in group, but cops requested them to send not more than two or three leaders. The officer mentioned that further action against the detainees would be taken accordingly. There was no immediate reaction from the farmer union on the development. The union has been opposing the state government for forcibly evicting the farmers on March 19 from the Shambhu and Khanauri sites where protesters, demanding minimum support price for all crops, had been camping since February 2024 after being stopped by security personnel from entering Haryana during their Delhi Chalo march. Meanwhile, minister Aman Arora laid the foundation stones for a few projects worth ₹12.09 crore. Among those projects were a 30-bed community health centre (worth ₹11 crore), a park ( ₹38.23 lakh) and some road construction projects valued at ₹79.86 lakh. He stated that the new hospital building would fulfill a long-standing demand of the local residents. The minister assured that the hospital and other development projects would be completed in one-and-a-half year. Regarding the ongoing row over water between Punjab and Haryana, he reiterated the state government's stance that Punjab didn't have extra water to spare. 'The police will not be withdrawn from the Bhakhra dam until the state's water rights are secured. The opposition parties should support the state government,' he added.
