New Delhi: Evoking tensions high among farmers and authorities at the Punjab-Haryana Shambhu Border as police dismantled tents and put to ground temporary structures at the protest site. The rally has continued for over a year in the demands of farmers for a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP) for their crop. The farmers have been camping at the Shambhu and Khanauri Borders since February 13, 2024, when their planned march to Delhi was foiled by security agencies.
In the late evening, the Punjab police carried out the removal of the protesters and demolition of their structures. One video showed a bulldozer taking down makeshift structures, while another showed policemen removing fans from the protest stage. Bulldozers were accompanied by tow trucks and cranes in clearing the protest sites.
Punjab farmers have long been agitating for a legal guarantee for MSP, fearing that without any safeguards for the MSP, they would remain vulnerable to the onslaught of market forces. The farmers had set up their protest camp at the borders as a form of resistance after the government's failure to meet their demands regarding fair crop prices. These protests are an extension of the ongoing struggle of farmers to have fair prices for their crops and to obtain the legal enforcement of MSP.
The farmers further announced a "chakka jam" (road blockade) in furtherance of their cause. This latest cohort of clashes spotlights mounting frustrations within Punjab’s farming community, which has meant with little sympathy in its address for equitable agricultural policies.
The police operation clearing the protest sites has led to widespread and mixed reactions, with supporters saying that it has removed an obstruction to traffic safety while others argue it has denied farmers their right to protest.
[Source Credit: Reuters]
