The Punjab Police on Wednesday began evicting protesting farmers from the Shambhu and Khanauri border points, which have been closed for more than a year. About 3,000 personnel, led by Deputy Inspector General of Police (Patiala Range) Mandeep Singh Sidhu, were at the Khanauri border point to evict protesters. Similarly, police personnel also reached the Shambhu border point to clear the road.
Police detained more than 200 farmers, who clashed with them, while they were heading to the Khanauri and Shambhu border points, where the protesting farmers have been camping since February 13 last year.
The protesting farmers – led by Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha – have been camping at the Shambhu (Shambhu-Ambala) and Khanauri (Sangrur-Jind) borders between Punjab and Haryana since February 13 last year when their march to Delhi was thwarted by security forces to press their demands, including a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops.
According to farmer leader Guramneet Singh Mangat, the farmer leaders were detained in Mohali while they were headed to the Shambhu protest site after the meeting with the delegation led by Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
