‘They have turned it into Pakistan border’, say commuter as police seals Haryana-Punjab border

This was not only the experience of Ranjeet Kaur but thousands of individuals who daily travel between Punjab and Haryana. An intelligence official posted at the Teukar border told The Indian Express that normally, the bridge at the border witnesses the movement of over 3,000 vehicles daily as people from Patiala and other areas of Punjab have to take this route to go to Delhi and areas of Haryana.

Today, as the Haryana police have completely sealed the Punjab border at Teuker—installing barriers and erecting nails and barbed wires—only a few people, with their domestic items on their heads, could walk through the bridge, that too with great difficulties. Similar scenes can be seen at other borders of Punjab too.

The police have undertaken heavy barricading on the national highway (NH-44) which connects Ambala to New Delhi. (Express Photo by Jasbir Malhi)

Thousands of people had to take small link routes to reach their destinations. With internet services already suspended in seven districts (Ambala, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Jind, Hisar, Fatehabad, and Sirsa), the installation of barricades at several places has put normal life out of gear in the bordering districts.

With the Haryana police anticipating a significant movement of cavalcades of Punjab’s agitating farmers’ tractor-trolleys from the bordering area of Ambala district, the police have undertaken heavy barricading on the national highway (NH-44) which connects Ambala to New Delhi. The police officials feel that if the farmers succeed in entering Haryana from Shambhu border of Punjab in Ambala district, then they would be able to reach Delhi easily via NH-44. In these circumstances, the police have made heavy security arrangements on Chandigarh-Ambala national highway apart from sealing the Shambhu border.

Commuters going on their way due to Haryana Police sealed Chandigarh-Delhi National Highway at the entry point of Ambala. (Express Photo by Jasbir Malhi)

As the police have already suggested commuters take alternative routes instead of Chandigarh-Ambala highway, still, thousands of vehicles kept moving from Chandigarh to the Ambala side. However, the police deployed at
the Lalru toll plaza on Chandigarh-Ambala highway restricted their movement. The commuters were asked to take alternative routes. Just a few kilometers ahead towards Ambala, another police barricade was found. When local commuters on their vehicles insisted on moving further, a policeman, while showing a photo on his mobile phone, told about the heavy barricading ahead. “First, see this photo, then think about moving further,” said the
policeman.

Near the entry point of Ambala, heavy barricading was done with the help of cranes from Monday morning. It was further strengthened during the day with paramilitary forces deployed at the spot. A migrant worker Lokesh Nayad
with his wife and two kids was spotted walking on the road. “I am going to our native place in Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh. First, I took an auto to reach up to this barricade. Now, I have to walk till the Ambala railway station as I am unable to find any auto on the way,” said Lokesh.

Haryana Police sealed Patiala/Pehova road on the bridge of Markanda river at the Teukar border in Haryana on Monday. (Express Photo by Jasbir Malhi)

Meanwhile, a policeman on the spot said: “Move fast; the road is being closed completely. If the road is closed, then you have to move longer via local routes.”

Even as the roads were closed keeping in view the Dilli Chalo call of farmer bodies, sympathy was still seen for the farmers at the sealed borders. A policeman explained: “Many of those who are in the media, judiciary, or bureaucracy know the hardships of the farming community. Further, many of them came from the rural background, especially from the farming sector.”

Meanwhile, a farmer Puran Singh from Punjab’s bordering village Jodhpur interrupted to say why the farmers are not being heard. “They (BJP government) honored MS Swaminathan, but why are they not implementing the minimum support price (MSP) for crops on his recommendations? Why are the rates of diesel not being checked?” Another farmer Manjeet Singh from Garhi Singha said that the farmers are upset because of inadequate action in the
Lakhimpur Kheri incident. “There were a lot of marriages on Sunday, but the people suffered a lot because of barricades and suspension of internet services,” he added.

An intelligence official at the Teuker border said that as of now, there is no large movement of Haryana farmers in the bordering areas. However, local farmers said the “over-reaction,” including sealing of the borders and
erecting nails there by the Haryana police, has generated an undercurrent among those farmers too who were not associated with the farmer agitation till date. A local farmer leader from Haryana said: “We will quickly join
the agitation if force is used against the Punjab farmers.” However, the state is taking no chances and has imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC in 15 districts. The state police have also issued warnings
to farmers, threatening to cancel their passports if they participate in the planned agitation.

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