Delhi-Jind-Sangrur Highway To Be Reopened After 13 Months Of Farmers' Protests As Cops Raze Barricades
The Delhi-Jind-Sangrur highway is set to reopen after 13 months as barricades along the Khanori border are being removed. The move follows the eviction of protesting farmers from the Shambhu border.
The Delhi-Jind-Sangrur highway will open after 13 months. The Haryana Police has started the work to remove the barricades along the Khanori border in Jind. The concrete barricades were removed to stop the farmers from entering Delhi during the farmers' protests last year.
The move comes after the removal of protesting farmers from the Shambhu border. Diggers (JCB machines) are now breaking down the cemented barricades more than a year after the 'Dilli Chalo' protests.
#WATCH | Visuals from the Punjab-Haryana Khanauri Border where Punjab Police brings in tow trucks and cranes to remove farmers' tractors, trucks, and other belongings.
— ANI (@ANI) March 20, 2025
Yesterday, late in the evening, Punjab police removed the farmers from the Punjab-Haryana Khanauri Border and… pic.twitter.com/608DMGzJrp
Detention Of Farmer Leaders After Key Meeting
The Punjab Police on Wednesday detained several prominent farmer leaders on Wednesday, including Sarwan Singh Pandher and Jagjit Singh Dallewal, as they returned from a meeting in Chandigarh with a central delegation led by Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
Other ministers, including Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi and Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, were also present in the seventh round of discussions aimed at addressing the farmers' demands — chief among them, a legal guarantee for the Minimum Support Price (MSP) on crops.
As farmers left the meeting and entered Mohali, they encountered heavy barricading. Farmer leader Guramneet Singh Mangat confirmed that Abhimanyu Kohar, Kaka Singh Kotra, and Manjit Singh Rai were among those detained.
Protest Sites Cleared Over Economic Impact
Authorities also dismantled makeshift structures and protest stages at the Shambhu and Khanauri sites, which had been blocked for over a year. Using diggers, the Police brought down the barricades after evicting the protests.
Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema defended the eviction, citing the economic impact of the prolonged roadblocks.
"Industries and businesses have suffered immensely due to the closure of these highways, which are the lifelines of the state," Cheema was quoted as saying by news agency PTI on Wednesday. "The Aam Aadmi Party [AAP] is dedicated to generating employment for the youth, and for that, trade and industry must function smoothly."
He reiterated that while the Punjab government supports farmers in their legitimate demands, the agitation should be directed at the central government rather than causing economic setbacks in Punjab. "We have consistently urged the farmer leaders to keep their struggle focused on the Centre. We stand with the farmers, as we always have, and will continue to amplify their concerns before the government," he added.
#WATCH | Visuals from the Punjab-Haryana Shambhu border, where the process of opening the road for traffic movement is underway
— ANI (@ANI) March 20, 2025
Yesterday, late in the evening, Punjab police removed the farmers from here, temporary structures erected by them were also removed. pic.twitter.com/0q0TJZAOoB
Congress On Eviction Of Farmers
MP Amar Singh claimed that the AAP and the BJP are working together against farmers. "AAP is BJP-RSS's B-team. They have been colluding with the central government... In reality, the Haryana police closed the roads on both the borders. This was a coordinated effort by all three governments [Haryana, Punjab, and Delhi]... Since the BJP formed the government in Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal has taken over Punjab... What is Kejriwal's legal position to hold a meeting with Punjab ministers and officers? The Punjab CM should have taken a stand against this... The power has fallen into the hands of non-serious politicians and opportunists..."
#WATCH | Delhi | On protesting farmers removed from Shambu and Khanauri borders, Congress MP Dr Amar Singh says, "We have been saying from the beginning that AAP is BJP-RSS' B-team. They have been colluding with the central government... In reality, the Haryana police closed the… pic.twitter.com/ZGxmop2Tux
— ANI (@ANI) March 20, 2025
(With PTI inputs.)
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