Farmers at Shambhu welcomed the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s order to Haryana Police to lift the barricade at Shambhu on the Ambala-Patiala border within a week. On Wednesday, farmer union leaders stated that the ruling debunked the BJP’s narrative that farmers had been blocking the national highway. They emphasized that it was the Haryana Police who had blocked the highway to prevent them from proceeding with the Delhi Chalo march since February. Members of the Punjab farmer unions, who have been stationed at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders since February 13, announced that they would now resume their march to Delhi to press for their demands, including a legal guarantee of the minimum support price (MSP) for all crops.
Guramneet Singh Mangat, the convener of the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KKM), welcomed the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s decision, stating, “It is a positive step. We welcome the order. We have been demanding that we be allowed to march to Delhi since February. We have already lost over two dozen farmers and hundreds have been injured in the protest so far. It was the Haryana government that had blocked the highway, not us.”
He added that the unions would meet on Thursday morning to discuss the future course of the agitation. The Haryana Police had barricaded the inter-state border at Shambhu and Khanauri to prevent protesting farmers from reaching the national capital.
Ramandeep Singh Mann, a member of the KKM, emphasized, “We had never called off our Delhi Chalo call. We will ask the authorities concerned to designate a venue in Delhi to allow us to protest peacefully. We had requested the officials earlier also but our request was declined.”
Punjab Farmers‘ Protest: HC Directs Haryana to Open Shambhu Border Within a Week
The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday directed the Haryana government to remove barricades at the Shambhu border with Punjab within a week. The order came after it was revealed that 400-450 farmers are stationed at the Ambala-Patiala district border. The court stated that security agencies can manage law and order, and directed Punjab to cooperate with Haryana. Additionally, the court asked farmer outfits to ensure no untoward incident takes place.
The high court bench, comprising Justice GS Sandhawalia and Justice Vikas Bahl, passed the order while hearing a series of petitions related to farmer issues and the blockade. The farmers have been camping at the Shambhu border since February 13, when their Delhi Chalo march was halted. Farmer union leaders welcomed the court’s decision, emphasizing that it debunked the narrative that farmers had been blocking the national highway and clarifying that it was the Haryana Police who had erected the barricades to prevent them from proceeding to Delhi.
Guramneet Singh Mangat, convener of the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KKM), stated, “It is a positive step. We welcome the order. We have been demanding that we be allowed to march to Delhi since February. We have already lost over two dozen farmers and hundreds have been injured in the protest so far. It was the Haryana government that had blocked the highway, not us.”
He added that the unions would meet on Thursday morning to discuss the future course of the agitation. Ramandeep Singh Mann, a member of the KKM, emphasized, “We had never called off our Delhi Chalo call. We will ask the authorities concerned to designate a venue in Delhi to allow us to protest peacefully. We had requested the officials earlier also but our request was declined.”
Members of the Punjab farmer unions, who have been stationed at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders since February 13, announced that they would now resume their march to Delhi to press for their demands, including a legal guarantee of the minimum support price (MSP) for all crops.
