Chandigarh: Tension rose along the Punjab-Haryana border on Sunday after Haryana Police heavily barricaded the Khanauri checkpoint to block a fresh farmers’ march to Delhi.
Hundreds of farmers gathered at the border under Kisan Mazdoor Morcha and Samyukta Kisan Morcha banners, but were stopped at the Punjab side. To prevent entry into Haryana, authorities put up multi-layered barricades, concrete blocks, chained metal barriers, and deployed riot control units.
The unions are demanding a legal guarantee for MSP, opposing proposed free-trade agreements, and seeking release of detained leaders.
In a recent farmers’ agitation in Madhya Pradesh, farmers protesting over the procurement of moong at MSP and the fertiliser e-token system had marched towards Bhopal to gherao Chief Minister Mohan Yadav’s residence.
On July 28, farmers began marching from Narmadapuram towards Bhopal, demanding 100 per cent procurement of moong at MSP, scrapping of the e-token system for fertilisers and distribution of fertilisers based on land records.
The following day, police stopped the protesting farmers near the CSIR-AMPRI Institute in Bhopal as they continued towards the Chief Minister’s residence. The farmers subsequently staged a sit-in on the Bhopal-Narmadapuram highway.
Talks between the district administration and the protesting farmers failed to resolve the issue at the time, with the protesters maintaining that they would continue their agitation until their demands were addressed.
The Bhopal protest also led authorities to divert traffic on several routes after the highway was blocked. Some schools in the city had also declared a holiday as a precautionary measure.
The Khanauri border is a key route connecting Punjab and Haryana, and restrictions there are likely to affect movement between the two states. Authorities are expected to monitor the situation closely as the proposed march progresses.
Commuters travelling through the border area have been advised to remain alert and follow instructions issued by police and local administration. The farmers, meanwhile, have maintained that their agitation will continue until their demands concerning agricultural policies and farmers’ interests are addressed. (ANI)
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