The Shambhu and Khanauri protest sites have been cleared following bulldozer action by the police, and warning has been issued to farmers.
More than 300 protesting farmers, including farmer leaders Sarwan Singh Pandher and Jagjit Singh Dallewal, were detained following the third round of meeting with the central delegation in Chandigarh, as per sources. Dallewal, who has been on a hunger strike since November last year, was hospitalised.
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.
Pandher was detained after being picked up from the Zirakpur barrier. Meanwhile, Dallewal, Kaka Singh Kotra, and Abhimanyu Kohar were apprehended near Bestech Mall in Mohali.
Pandher has been taken to Bahadurgarh Fort Commando Police Training Centre in Patiala. The centre has been transformed into a makeshift detention center, as over 200 protesting farmers, except Dallewal, have been apprehended and taken to the complex.
Reacting to the police action, Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Cheema said that the step was necessitated for the economic growth of the state. It is important that we fight against unemployment too, he added.
Punjab Cabinet Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond, who heads the Industry ministry, said, “Our government has always supported farmers, but the state has incurred significant losses. Highways are crucial for business and employment,” he emphasised.
Union Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Bittu has strongly condemned the police crackdown on farmers. Former chief minister and MP Charanjit Singh Channi stated that the AAP government succumbed to pressure from the BJP-led central government and took action against the farmers.
Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring questioned the need for the Punjab Police to arrest farmer leaders while negotiations were already underway between the central government and farmers. He also raised suspicions about the timing of the crackdown, suggesting it might be an attempt to divert public attention from the recent incident in Patiala, where 12 Punjab Police officers were involved in the brutal manhandling of a serving colonel, sparking widespread outrage and demands for accountability.