Chaos in Chandigarh as farmers break police barricades to enter UT

March to Punjab and Haryana Raj Bhawans was called by Samyukt Kisan Morcha to mark seven months of the agitation against the farm laws

Farmers from Punjab broke police barricades on the Mohali-Chandigarh border to march into the Union Territory en route to Raj Bhawan on Saturday afternoon before they were stopped at the Press light point on Madhya Marg, a few kilometres from governor VP Singh Badnore’s official residence.

Farmers gathering at the Printing Press light point on Madhya Marg near Sector 17, Chandigarh, on Saturday afternoon. They broke through police barricades before reaching the heart of the city, where they were stopped en route to Punjab Raj Bhawan. (Ravi Kumar/HT)

Another group of farmers from Haryana was headed for the state capital from the Panchkula-Yamunanagar highway around the same time but was stopped at the Chandigarh border.

Though the police had issued an advisory to avoid certain routes in view of the protest march called by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha to mark seven months of the farm agitation, traffic came to a standstill in Chandigarh between 1pm and 4:30pm. Traffic snarls were also reported in parts of Panchkula.

Police use water cannons

Supporters of 32 farm organisations starting gathering at the Amb Sahib Gurdwara in Mohali from where they started their march towards Chandigarh around 12:40pm.

Chandigarh Police had sealed 13 entry points into the city and even put up PCR vehicles, CTU buses and barbed wires to barricade the roads, but farmers rode through without much resistance with the help of tractors. Police even resorted to the use of water cannons near YPS Chowk (Mataur barrier), but by 2pm, the farmers coming from Mohali reached Sectors 17 and 22, the heart of the city.

Both the governors reside near Sukhna Lake at the northern end of the city. The area was barricaded to prevent them from reaching the area. The farmers were stopped by the police near the Press light point. An officer from the governor’s office took the memorandum from the farmers, following which many went back on their own and some were dropped in buses till the Chandigarh border.

Around 1,500 cops had been deployed in the city. “Police personnel handled the situation very maturely, and barring a minor altercation, the protest passed off peacefully,” said senior superintendent of police, Chandigarh, Kuldeep Singh Chahal.

Haryana farmers stop at border

The group coming from Haryana was being led by activist Yogendra Yadav and Haryana Bharatiya Kisan Union president Gurnam Singh Chaduni.

The farmers started gathering outside Nada Sahib Gurdwara since early morning and started the march towards the Housing Board Chowk (Chandigarh-Panchkula border) post noon.

However, amid heavy police deployment, they did not enter Chandigarh and handed over a memorandum addressed to Satyadev Narayan Arya to an officer of the Haryana governor’s secretariat in Panchkula. Police said no untoward incident was reported.

Deputy commissioner of police, Panchkula, Mohit Handa said: “We were constantly in touch with farm leader and dealt the situation with dialogue.”