E-Paper
4,000-strong force guarding Chandigarh borders amid farmers’ gherao call
Traffic officials say in case any entry/exit point is sealed, road diversions will be made immediately to avoid inconvenience to commuters
In wake of the gherao call given by 16 farmers’ outfits from neighbouring states, the Chandigarh Police has beefed up security around the 27 entry and exit points of the city, with 4,000 personnel of paramilitary and Chandigarh police on stand-by.
The farmers outfits, including representatives from nine unions in Punjab, three from Haryana, and one each from Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, have announced to carry out a tractor rally and gherao Chandigarh on August 22, to press the Centre for compensation against the losses they suffered in the recent floods.
As per officials, around 10,000 farmers are expected to join the protest.
As per information, personnel of the Rapid Action Force (RAF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), besides Chandigarh police, will be deployed at all the 27 points.
Won’t allow farmers to protest inside city: UT SSP
UT senior superintendent of police (SSP) Kanwardeep Kaur said, “We won’t allow the farmers to protest inside the city at any cost. Thus, we are going to deploy the maximum force possible to stop them. Moreover, we will seal the crucial entry and exits if needed to avoid any disturbance to law-and-order here as farmers from Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and other states will reach here and thus the entries from Mohali and Panchkula will be properly manned.”
A senior traffic official said that to ensure smooth vehicular flow, route diversions will be carried out immediately in case any entry/exit point is sealed.
“We have held coordination meetings with the police of the neighbouring states and requested them to stop processions of farmers from reaching Chandigarh so that they don’t block more traffic routes here. If the farmers manage to reach here, we will barricade the roads immediately as a heavy force will remain deployed at the crucial spots,” a senior police officer said.
Earlier on Sunday evening, in an attempt to control the situation, Punjab governor and Chandigarh administrator Banwarilal Purohit had met 11 representatives of farmers’ unions, including Surjit Singh Phool and Suresh Koth, and assured to convey their demands to the Union government. Despite that incidents of violence were reported from Punjab’s Sangrur where the farmers clashed with the police when they were stopped from proceeding towards Chandigarh.
Senior police officers of Punjab, including Arpit Shukla, additional director general of police (ADGP, law and order) Ropar Range inspector general of police (IGP) Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, along with their Chandigarh counterparts, were also present in this meeting.
IGP Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said elaborate security arrangements have been made to uphold law-and-order.
3-tier checkposts in Mohali
Mohali police said that three-tier check posts have been laid around the city and if required, last-minute diversions will be made to prevent the protesters from entering Chandigarh.
Panchkula ACP, law and order, Surender Kumar Yadav said talks are on with the senior leadership of farmers. “Farmers have informed us that maximum participation will be from Punjab. All arrangements are in place to ensure that law-and-order is not disturbed in the city. We will place barricades at least at three border areas adjoining Chandigarh, including Housing Board, Dolphin Chowk and the entry point of Mauli Jagran. We will deploy over 150 policemen at these places and all required measures will be taken,” said ACP Yadav.
A senior UT cop said that farmers have threatened to sit on dharna and block traffic wherever they are stopped, and the trouble is that in case that happens, another city artery would be blocked. Since January 7, Sikh activists, under the banner of Qaumi Insaaf Morcha, have been protesting at YPS Chowk in Mohali, blocking traffic movement on the crucial Chandigarh-Mohali route.
With inputs from Mohit Khanna in Mohali and Tanbir Dhaliwal in Panchkula.
Embedded story
Farmers to gather at Shambhu
toll, march towards UT
Bhavey Nagpal
Ambala: As per reports, farmers from Ambala, Kurukshetra and other districts are likely to gather at Shambhu toll on Haryana-Punjab border in the morning. Sources say cops have been alerted at the border, where a permanent nakka exists, and reinforcements may be sent as the situation unfolds.
On Monday, police reportedly detained some farm leaders associated with Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) Shaheed Bhagat Singh (SBS), including its president Amarjit Singh Mohri, Jai Singh and his brother Sukhwinder Singh of Jalbera village, and district president of the body, Gurmeet Singh, under preventive custody. No police official from Ambala responded to repeated calls to confirm this.
As per information, Mohri was called for a meeting with the district administration at the deputy commissioner’s office and detained after he walked out. He claimed this in a video released on Facebook.
He said, “The government administration had called us for a meeting but we have been detained there. Even if all the leaders are arrested, you all (farmers) shall reach the Shambhu border and march towards Chandigarh. We have been detained. The government turned back on its promise and we went to attend the meeting trusting the senior administrative officials.”
“I appeal to all the Ambala farmers to reach (Chandigarh) in maximum numbers to show the strength to the government. Perhaps all our companions will get detained but you people shall reach Chandigarh without making any mistake while using your old experience (of farmers’ protest at Delhi), intelligence and win this struggle. All farmers must march with their tractors-trailers,” added Mohri.
Son of Jai Singh, Navdeep Singh, popularly known as “water cannon boy” also released a video and asked the farmers to break all police barriers and reach the toll.
