Punjab Police cleared the Khanauri and Shambhu protest sites late in the Wednesday evening, arbitrarily detaining all farmers and restoring the highways.
Both sites have been completely emptied, according to the latest reports.
At Khanauri, before the operation began, Mandeep Singh Sidhu, DIG Patiala Range, addressed the protesters, saying, “We are over 3,000, and you are only a few hundred. We have to clear the sites, come what may. Your leaders have already been detained in Chandigarh… We don’t know what happened in the meeting between the government and union leaders. We don’t want to use force, so we request everyone to board the buses voluntarily.”
The authorities cut off the electricity supply and slowed down the internet speed at both sites. Police used torches to carry out the clearing process, according to reports.
Meanwhile, earlier in the day, two farmer leaders—Sarwan Singh Pandher and Jagjit Singh Dallewal—were detained while they were en route from Chandigarh to the Shambhu border, according to various media reports.
Dallewal, who has been on a hunger strike since November last year, is likely to be hospitalized.
The farmers were detained in Mohali after a clash with security forces. They were heading to the Shambhu border protest site after a meeting with a central delegation led by Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
Meanwhile, The Tribune reported that the decision to take action against the protesting farmer unions was reportedly made on Monday night, following a meeting between top AAP functionaries and industrialists. The industrialists expressed concerns that the protests were incurring significant costs.
The police also removed farmers from the Punjab-Haryana Shambhu and Khanauri borders and dismantled the temporary structures they had erected. A number of farmers were detained from these areas as well.
Farmers had been camping at the border after being stopped from marching to Delhi with their demands.
“Farmers had been protesting at the Shambhu border for a long time. Today, in the presence of duty magistrates, police cleared the area after they were given proper warning,” said Nanak Singh, a senior police officer of Patiala.
“A few people showed a willingness to go home, so they were sent home on a bus. In addition, the structures and vehicles here are being moved. The entire road will be cleared and opened for traffic. Haryana Police will also begin their action. Once it opens from their side, movement on the highway will resume. We did not need to use any force because there was no resistance. Farmers cooperated well and sat in buses by themselves,” he added.
