High court directs Haryana government to open Shambhu border in 7 days
In February, the Haryana government set up barricades on the Ambala-New Delhi highway when the SKM and KMM announced they would march to Delhi.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday directed the Haryana government to remove the barricades at the Shambhu border near Ambala within a week. Farmers have been camping there since February 13 when their 'Delhi Chalo' march was halted.
In February, the Haryana government set up barricades on the Ambala-New Delhi highway when the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) announced they would march to Delhi. They were protesting for various demands, including a legal guarantee for minimum support prices (MSP) for crops.
The orders came on a group of petitions about farmer issues and against the blockade. The directions were issued by a division bench of justices G S Sandhawalia and Vikas Bahl. Farmers have scheduled a meeting on July 16 to discuss the matter, PTI reported.
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Haryana Additional Advocate General Deepak Sabherwal told the media after the hearing that the court instructed the Haryana government to remove the barricades within seven days.
The court also stated that if any law and order issues come up, the government could take preventive measures as per the law. Similar instructions were given to the Punjab government to maintain law and order, and any barricades on the Punjab side should also be removed. The orders are to open the highway, Sabherwal said as per PTI.
Since February 13, farmers have been camped at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana after security forces stopped their march. On February 21, Shubhkaran from Bathinda was killed, and many police officers were injured in clashes at the Khanauri border. The incident happened when some farmers tried to move past the barricades, and security personnel stopped them from crossing the state border to march to Delhi.
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“We (Haryana) had said the barricading had been put up since February 10, which was to maintain law and order. The farmers are sitting on Punjab's side. Their number at present is about 400-500,” Sabherwal said.
Meanwhile, responding to the court order, farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said they have scheduled a meeting for both groups. “SKM (Non-Political) and KMM — on July 16 to discuss the future course of action. We had earlier made it clear that we had not blocked the road. The barricades had been done by the Centre and Haryana government,” it said.
