Traffic movement resumed on the Shambhu-Ambala Highway on Thursday after more than a year, while the Khanauri border point is set to reopen with Haryana Police removing roadblocks.
This follows Punjab Police’s action a day earlier, detaining protesting farmers and dismantling their temporary structures.
Road clearance at the protest sites in Shambhu and Khanauri continued as farmers staged demonstrations in Punjab, including Moga, Tarn Taran, Muktsar, and Faridkot, protesting against the previous evening’s crackdown on agitators.
Farmers claimed that those detained had begun a hunger strike to protest against the police action. In Moga, a group of farmers, including women, scuffled with police while heading to demonstrate outside the deputy commissioner’s office.
The developments sparked political reactions from various parties.
In a statement from Delhi, the Aam Aadmi Party reiterated its support for farmers but stressed the need to reopen key roads to safeguard Punjab’s economy.
BJP accuses AAP of clearing protest sites for votes
The BJP, however, accused AAP leader and chief minister Bhagwant Mann of clearing protest sites ahead of the Ludhiana West bypoll to “garner votes.” The Congress criticised both parties, alleging they were working in collusion.
Protesting farmers in Punjab criticised the AAP government for detaining their leaders and removing demonstrators from the Shambhu and Khanauri border points, where they had been camping since February 13 last year after security personnel blocked their march to Delhi.
As the protest continued, farmers set up temporary structures on the highway to shelter demonstrators and sustain their agitation.
To prevent farmers from Punjab from advancing towards the national capital, Haryana Police had reinforced the border points with cement blocks, iron nails, and barbed wire. As a result, traffic on the Shambhu-Ambala and Sangrur-Jind roads remained suspended for over a year.
On Thursday, Haryana security personnel removed cement barricades on their side of the Shambhu-Ambala Highway, allowing traffic to resume, while work to clear the Khanauri border point is still underway.
With PTI inputs