The Shambhu border point once again emerged as a centre of confrontation on Tuesday as Haryana Police sealed the Punjab-Haryana crossing, setting up barricades and cement blocks to stop farmers heading towards Delhi for the “Kisan Mahapanchayat” against the proposed India-US trade agreement.
Hundreds of farmers from across Punjab gathered at the border point, carrying flags of their organisations and arriving in buses as part of a planned march to the national capital. The bridge over the Ghaggar river was fenced and a heavy security deployment was put in place to prevent their movement.
The gathering was organised under the banner of the “Desh Bachao Morcha”, with farmers scheduled to participate in a day-long mahapanchayat at Kisan Ghat in Delhi.
Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher accused the Nayab Singh Saini-led Haryana government of blocking a peaceful march. “We only want to proceed peacefully,” Pandher said, alleging that the restrictions reflected the government’s stance towards farmers.
The farmers’ convoy began its journey from Gurdwara Sri Fatehgarh Sahib, where over a thousand participants had spent the previous night. The group moved through Madhopur near Sirhind before reaching the Shambhu border.
Pandher said farmers were seeking the withdrawal of the proposed India-US trade deal, warning that cheaper agricultural imports could hurt farmers’ incomes and weaken the domestic farming sector.
Bharatiya Kisan Union (Shaheed Bhagat Singh) leader Tejveer Singh alleged that the Shambhu border had been sealed without prior notice. Farmers also claimed that some groups travelling towards Delhi were stopped in Haryana’s Kurukshetra.
With movement affected in the region, Haryana Police issued a traffic advisory urging commuters to take alternate routes to avoid delays.
The latest standoff mirrors the February 2024 farmers’ march, when similar barricading measures were put in place as farmers attempted to enter Delhi seeking a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops.
With PTI inputs
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