Negotiations and outreach to farmers seem to be the mantra of Bhagwant Mann government in Punjab as the protesters who gathered at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders of Punjab and Haryana have decided to intensify the ongoing agitation with their “Delhi chalo’’ march.
Four rounds of negotiations have already taken place between the farmers and the central and state representatives. Mann was present in three such meetings, where peaceful overtures have been made to break the deadlock but to no avail so far. A fifth round is expected to take place on Wednesday, said sources, where union ministers are likely to participate.
On Wednesday, the union home ministry shot off an advisory to the Punjab government to take necessary steps to avoid any disturbance to the law and order situation amid reports of protests gathering steam—with men and machines reported to be moving towards inter state borders putting the Haryana government on its toes.
“Peaceful protests by farmers are being allowed and our mandate is to ensure there is no law and order problem,” said a senior Punjab police official.
While the concerns of police forces in Delhi and Haryana are of the possibility of inimical forces creating unrest and indulging in anti-national activities, Punjab police brass so far has not found any evidence of anti-national forces joining in or a criminal conspiracy to fuel unrest. But it continues to be a tight rope walk for the Punjab police, as the protests gather momentum and a spill over of violence cannot be ruled out if the issues remain unaddressed for long.
For now, a clear road map has been prepared by the Punjab police to prevent any violence and crime as protesting farmers are being allowed to voice their concerns. After hectic rounds of meetings, a blueprint of security arrangements has been prepared where more than 2,000 Punjab police personnel have been deployed on the Shambhu and Khanauri borders where four commandants will oversee the security. Besides, one Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) rank officer has been asked to be present in a supervisory role at both Shambhu and Kahanuri borders, security sources told THE WEEK.
The police force in Punjab is avoiding use of any force, including non-lethal weapons, the sources said, and farmers are being allowed to carry out peaceful protests. Two Punjab police personnel were injured, the sources said, but the police is maintaining restraint.
In Haryana, the police force is in a huddle over handling the fallout of movement of men and machinery that can spill violence on streets. There are intelligence reports of fortified tractors, JCB machines at the protest site and warnings have been issued by the state police to withdraw them lest there are heavy injuries and chaos at the inter-state borders.
In Delhi, the worry is bigger. Besides the possibility of the protests spilling across inter-state borders and farmers marching to the capital, security officials say the situation cannot solely be looked at from the prism of law and order threats arising out of the police resistance, tear gas shells and barricades. A senior security official said the farmers’ protests are being watched by inimical elements sitting outside the country who have in the recent past fuelled unrest in Punjab. While it may be a relief for neighbouring states like UP and Haryana whose farmers have not joined hands, he said, the fact that Punjab is getting isolated is also a concern that needs to be addressed soon as trans-national criminal and terror nexuses are being tapped over last several months to fuel tensions.
Both the Central and state government have so far joined hands to keep such threats at bay and the security brass is aware that the way forward is more talks, peaceful negotiations and cooperation to address the concerns of the farmers.
