Punjab farmers stopped at Haryana borders

Sanjeev S Bariana

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 25

Thousands of farmers from Majha, Malwa and Doaba have started assembling near Haryana borders for their proposed march to Delhi against the Centre’s recent agriculture laws. While some on Wednesday managed to make their way through the Shambhu barrier in Patiala district, many others were stopped by the Haryana Police at Dabwali following which groups affiliated with the Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta-Ugrahan) staged a protest on the Bathinda-Delhi highway.

Edit: Farmers’ march

Sources said farmers from Sangrur, Barnala, Mansa, Patiala and Ludhiana districts had gathered in large numbers on the Punjab-Haryana border. Another group was reported to be camping near Khanauri in Sangrur district. The third route from the Shambhu border in Patiala district was open throughout the day. It was used by a sizeable number of farmers to enter Haryana. The movement of protesters on the Ambala highway remained largely unimpeded. Hundreds of farmers from the Doaba area commenced their march on 400 tractor-trailers, each carrying 20 or more protesters. Belonging to Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala and Nawanshahr districts, they converged on Phagwara in the morning and then headed for Phillaur. Amrik Singh, district vice-president of the BKU-Kadian, said, “All farm outfits will spend the night at the Fatehgarh Sahib gurdwara where langar arrangements have been made. We will proceed towards Delhi tomorrow (Thursday)”. Representing the Majha belt, the state general secretary of the Kisan Majdoor Sangharsh Committee, Sarwan Singh Pandher, said farmers from 16 villages had already left for Delhi.