Cops step up vigil to prevent farmers from blocking Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway

The police are likely to resume checking at Gurugram’s borders with Delhi and other districts of Haryana on Friday, after groups of farmers continued to move towards

Published on: Dec 10, 2020, 22:53:33 IST

By Leena Dhankhar, Gurugram

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The police are likely to resume checking at Gurugram’s borders with Delhi and other districts of Haryana on Friday, after groups of farmers continued to move towards the city, in protest against the new farm laws. The police said that commuters travelling to and from Delhi might face congestion due to the checks.

According to the police, the motive is to ensure that protesters do not block the expressway and warned of strict action against those who try to block the highway. The police also plan to check vehicles moving from wholesale markets as they suspect protesters, who had reached the city in private cars on Thursday, to use these vehicles to gather at one of the traffic junctions on the expressway.

The farmer leaders rejected a government proposal to amend the new agriculture laws on Wednesday, and announced they would intensify their agitation by blocking the Jaipur-Delhi and Delhi-Agra expressways by Saturday, and escalating it to a nationwide protest on December 14.

Astha Modi, the deputy commissioner of police (headquarters), said that they have diversion plans in place in case the expressway is blocked. “Our force is ready with multiple plans in case the farmers block any of the crossing or expressway,” she said.

More than 400 farmers from Rajasthan and Maharashtra, who had marched up to Ferozepur Jhirka in Nuh through Bharatpur in Rajasthan on Thursday, were not allowed to enter Gurugram, and have been camping at Palwal and parts of Rajasthan for the last two days, the police said.

The superintendent of police, Nuh, Narender Bijarniya, on Thursday, said that a group of farmers were allowed to meet their fellow farmers at the Palwal border. “The remaining farmers were sent back to Rajasthan and were not allowed to enter Nuh to reach Delhi. The situation has been peaceful and the protesters peacefully agreed to our terms,” he said.

Nuh Police has deployed nearly 900 personnel at their borders with Palwal, Faridabad, Gurugram and Rajasthan.

Gurugram Police had received information that farmers had gathered near Bharatpur and Behror in Rajasthan and were planning to march to the city to block the highway. The police said nearly 2,000 personnel have been deployed at key locations.

Nikita Gehlot, the deputy commissioner of police (Manesar), said that protesters are planning to walk towards the expressway through Manesar and Kherki Daula toll plaza, but they were diverted to Nuh. “We had set up barricades at all borders and special teams were deployed on the Kundli Manesar Palwal (KMP) Expressway but no one has reached so far. We are expecting farmers from other states, who are likely to block the national highway but the teams are deployed and have activated our secret informers. We will not let them disrupt the traffic,” she said.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Leena Dhankhar
Leena Dhankhar is Senior Editor and Bureau Chief, Gurugram, at Hindustan Times, where she has spent over 17 years chronicling the transformation of one of India's fastest-growing urban regions. From starting her career as a crime reporter to leading the Gurugram bureau, her journalism has been defined by investigative reporting, in-depth storytelling and an unwavering focus on public interest. Over nearly two decades, she has reported extensively across crime, politics, civic governance, elections, real estate, environment, courts, sports, education and entertainment, covering Gurugram, Faridabad, Nuh and Palwal. Her reporting has exposed several major scams and systemic failures, including insurance frauds, waste management irregularities, illegal arms manufacturing units in Nuh, illegal mining in the Aravallis, organised crime networks and governance lapses affecting millions of residents. Known for her investigative work and exclusive stories, Leena has reported on high-impact national issues, including the Nicaragua charter flight carrying Indian migrants that was turned back amid allegations of human trafficking, exposing the growing network of illegal immigration rackets. Her work has also focused on gang wars, prison administration, juvenile crime, women and child protection systems, the functioning of the Juvenile Justice Board and Child Welfare Committee, and environmental challenges such as pollution, waterlogging and deteriorating civic infrastructure. Beyond hard news, Leena has extensively documented Haryana's rich heritage, forests and wildlife, bringing attention to the state's historical landmarks, biodiversity, conservation efforts and ecological challenges through immersive reportage and feature writing. Her journalism has consistently gone beyond breaking news. She has documented Gurugram's rapid urbanisation through long-form narratives and enterprise reporting on issues ranging from pothole-ridden roads, flooding and waste management to the changing social fabric of India's Millennium City. She also writes widely read feature columns, including The Outsider, Changemaker, and Concern for Gurugram, profiling people, places and ideas shaping the city's identity. Leena is the author of Gurugram School Murder, published by Juggernaut Books, a deeply reported account of one of India's most high-profile school murder investigations. She is currently working on her second book, an investigative work exploring some of India's most significant scams and fraud investigations. Beyond print journalism, she has expanded her storytelling through public speaking and digital media. She is a TEDx speaker and has produced podcasts exploring Gurugram's transformation, civic challenges and untold stories. Her work reflects a commitment to narrative journalism that combines rigorous reporting with compelling storytelling. A law graduate with an MBA in Human Resources, Leena brings a multidisciplinary perspective to her reporting, particularly on governance, public policy and legal affairs. She has travelled extensively across India to pursue investigative assignments, often reporting from remote locations and conflict-prone areas in search of stories that matter.Read More