Shambhu: A Punjab village synonymous with farmers’ protests

In Punjab and Haryana, however, the Shambhu border has often been mentioned in speeches by politicians looking to target their opponents.

A view of Shambhu Sarai in Shambhu village. (Express Photo by Raakhi Jagga)

When Parkash Singh Badal was the chief minister of Punjab from 2007-2017 and Manmohan Singh was the Prime Minister, Badal used to often meet the PM over various demands of the state. These visits drew flak as Badal’s political opponents criticised him, saying “Badal meets the PM, gifts him a bouquet, submits his demands…the moment he crosses Shambhu border and enters Punjab, his language changes and he starts criticising the Centre.” The Badals would repeat the same when their political opponents travelled to Delhi to meet National Democratic Alliance (NDA) ministers.

Shambhu Sarai: A resting place for travellers

Shambhu is a village in Rajpura tehsil of Punjab’s Patiala district. It has a large settlement, Shambhu Kalan, and a small settlement, Shambhu Khurd. The village enjoys historical importance because of the Shambhu Sarai (resthouse) built by Mughal emperor Sher Shah Suri in the 16th century. Sher Shah Suri built the Grand Trunk Road from Chittagong (now in Bangladesh) to Peshawar (in Pakistan). At every 50 km, rest houses were built, as per historians. Sources say that while many Sarais have been destroyed, the Shambhu Sarai still exists with a small mosque on the lawn. Though not well-maintained, the old monument is visible if one travels by road on this highway. The resthouse was used by traders, soldiers and travellers.

A sales tax and toll barrier

In the early 70s, after the formation of Haryana as a separate state, a sales tax barrier was built on NH-44 where vehicles carrying goods from outside Punjab were checked to ensure tax compliance. In 1999, this was replaced by an information collection centre. A long queue of trucks was a common sight at the border during this time and often led to traffic jams. In 2000, a toll barrier for all vehicles was introduced in Punjab’s jurisdiction with a toll tax of Rs 45 for a car for a two-side journey.

Around six to seven years ago, this toll barrier was shifted from Mehmudpur village, the last village in Punjab, to near Nizampur village in Haryana’s Ambala. The barrier, however, is still known as the Shambhu barrier as Shambhu is a big village close to Mehmudpur. The local police station is also named the Shambhu police station. “Perhaps, the barrier got the name after the police station,” said Tejveer Singh, spokesperson of Bhartiya Kisan Union (Shaheed Bhagat Singh), Haryana. The sales tax checkpost still exists near Punjab’s border.

At Punjab-Haryana border at Shambhu. (Express Photo by Gurmeet Singh)

The 2020 protests

During the protest against the three central farm laws in 2020, farmers had staged a dharna at the Shambhu railway station before marching towards Delhi. Two tents had come up on the highway near the Shambhu barrier; one by Waris Punjab De, then run by Punjabi actor Deep Sidhu, who died in a road accident later, and another by Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar). On November 26, 2020, the farmers marched from the Shambhu barrier towards Delhi breaking all the blockades in between. The temporary barricades were flung into the Ghaggar River flowing along the highway. The three farm laws were eventually rolled back.

The current protests

This February, farmers under the banner of Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) and Samyukt Kisan Morcha (non-political) had given a ‘Dilli Chalo’ call over several demands, including a minimum support price for crops. However, unlike 2020, the Haryana government placed six-layered barricading, brought in paramilitary forces, built a wall and used barbed wire fencing to stop the farmers. Tear gas shelling was carried out using drones and rubber bullets were also fired to stop the farmers from marching ahead. Several farmers, including Shubhkaran Singh, died in the protests.

While talks between farmer unions and Union ministers were inconclusive, the Punjab and Haryana High Court recently directed the Haryana government to remove the barricades. All eyes are now on Haryana as the directive comes at a time when the state is heading for Assembly elections.