BATHINDA/PATIALA: Punjab Police on Wednesday detained fasting farmer activist Jagjit Singh Dallewal and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha head Sarvan Singh Pandher as well as other prominent agitators in Mohali when they were returning after attending a meeting with a central govt delegation in Chandigarh and also evicted protesting farmers from the Shambhu and Khanauri borders.
The evictions began despite assurances from Punjab ministers about the AAP govt having no plans to disturb farm protesters or the two protest sites at Shambhu and Khanauri. By late Wednesday evening, the two sites had been cleared of protesters. More than 250 protesters were detained from Khanauri, some from Mohali, and 110 from Shambhu, a senior Punjab Police officer said, adding that they were shifted to a marriage hall. Wednesday’s meeting was the seventh round of talks between the two sides since Feb 2024 and discussions centred on the main demand for a law guaranteeing MSP for crops.
After Wednesday’s talks, central ministers have decided to appoint a joint secretary to engage with various stakeholders to delve deeper into the contentious issue of MSP. The next round of meetings is scheduled for May 4.
Cops picked up 150 forcefully within minutes, claim farmers
Joint secretary Purna Chand Kishan will be engaging with agriculture experts and farm activists. The development comes after farmers presented compelling data from reputable agencies like Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, Crisil, and RBI.
The data highlighted the financial implications of providing MSP. The farmers were proceeding to the Shambhu border from Chandigarh, from where Dallewal and other agitators accompanying him were to head to Khanauri. However, they were picked up right after crossing into Punjab, in Jagatpura area of Mohali. Dallewal was detained in his ambulance, and others with their vehicles after some resistance from the farmers. Pandher was picked up from his vehicle even though he tried to get away.
The farmers were apprehending some kind of action given the heavy police deployment at both protest sites, but they expected it at Shambhu and Khanauri. Punjab police rounded up a few hundred farmers at the Khanauri interstate border late Wednesday evening. The turbans of several farmers were tossed during minor scuffles as they were being put into buses by authorities to clear the protest site.
BKU Ekta Sidhupur leader Kulwant Singh claimed that all the belongings and tractor trailers parked on the highway were left behind as police didn’t give them time, especially to elderly farmers, to vacate. BKU Ekta Sidhupur farmer Deepu, who is close to Dallewal, said police forcibly rounded up over 150 farmers in a matter of minutes. Sangrur SSP Sartaj Singh Chahal said the operation was carried out peacefully and police did not engage in any clash with farmers. However, the farmers claimed that police used force to round them up at Khanauri.