Punjab Police remove protesting farmers from Shambhu border; several leaders detained

Punjab Police on Wednesday removed protesting farmers from the Shambhu border point and dismantled the temporary structures they had erected.

Over a dozen farmer leaders, including  Sarwan Singh Pandher and Jagjit Singh Dallewal, were detained.

Pandher and Dallewal were detained on their way to the Shambhu border point after a meeting with a central delegation in Chandigarh.

According to reports, the more-than-three-hour meeting between the farmers and the central delegation led by Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan remained inconclusive.

The police action came amid complaints from industrialists in Punjab that they had incurred heavy losses because of the closure of the Shambhu and Khanauri border points.

The border points had remained closed for over a year due to the ongoing protests.

Other farmer leaders who have been detained included Abhimanyu Kohar, Kaka Singh Kotra and Manjit Singh Rai.

Both the protest sites witnessed heavy deployment of security forces, ambulances, buses and fire-fighting vehicles. Reports said around 3,000 security personnel have been deployed at the Khanauri border while another large force has been moved to clear the Shambhu border point.

Punjab finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema defended the police action, citing the hardships being faced by traders in the state.

"The AAP government and the people of Punjab stood with the farmers when they protested against the three black laws. The demands of the farmers are against the central government. It has been more than a year and the Shambhu and Khanauri borders are closed. The traders and youth of Punjab are very upset. When the traders will do business, the youth will get employment and they will stay away from drugs," Cheema told ANI.

“The central government always tries to isolate farmers, especially in Punjab. After the meeting between farmers and the central delegation concluded, Punjab Police detained the farmer leaders. The central government and AAP government want to isolate the farmers of Punjab. This is very wrong," Congress MP Amarinder Singh Raja Warring said.

Union minister Chouhan, meanwhile, said the talks with the protesters would continue.

The meeting was held in a cordial atmosphere. The discussions took place in a positive and constructive manner. The talks will continue. The next meeting will take place on May 4," Chouhan said after the meeting with the farmer leaders.