Centre urges Punjab authorities to control protest gatherings

In a bid to manage escalating tensions at the Shambhu border between Punjab and Haryana, the Ministry has issued an advisory to the Punjab government, urging strict measures to prevent large gatherings of protestors. The advisory specifically raised concerns about the use of tractor-trolleys, JCBs, and other heavy equipment on highways.
Expressing apprehensions, the advisory highlighted that nearly 14,000 individuals had been permitted to gather at Punjab’s Shambhu border on the Rajpura-Ambala Road, accompanied by an assembly of 1200 tractor-trolleys, 300 cars, 10 mini-buses, and various other smaller vehicles. Furthermore, the Dhabi-Gujran barrier witnessed sizable congregations, with approximately 4500 persons and 500 tractor-trolleys present, as per the reports.

Citing the deteriorating law and order situation, the advisory suggested that the state’s permissiveness had allowed miscreants or law-breakers to infiltrate protests, engaging in stone-pelting and mobilizing heavy machinery with the intent to incite unrest in neighboring states.

The advisory implored the Punjab government to promptly review and take stringent action against disruptive activities camouflaged under the guise of farmers’ protests. Central agencies have been closely monitoring the security situation at inter-state borders, with elaborate arrangements in place to prevent farmers from entering Delhi. Despite police presence in riot gear and heavy barricades on the highway connecting Punjab with Delhi, farmers, some wearing gas masks, gathered in the morning, reiterating their determination to fight for their rights. In response, the Haryana Police issued an order on Tuesday to seize heavy equipment from protesting farmers.

The standoff intensified as farmers rejected the government’s proposal on minimum support prices (MSP) for those diversifying crops, insisting on MSP for additional food grains. This development follows the farmers’ prolonged protest at Delhi’s borders in 2020-21, which eventually led to the government repealing three contentious farm laws. The situation remains tense as both sides navigate the complexities of the ongoing agrarian dispute.