Boulders, concrete slabs, trenches: At Shambhu Barrier along Haryana-Punjab border, ’12-layer barricade’ awaits farmers

The protest call has been given by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) seeking minimum support price (MSP) on all crops, punishment for the culprits in the Lakhimpur Kheri incident, quashing of all FIRs lodged during the farmers’ stir and Rs 10,000 per month pension for farmers aged over 60, among other demands.

As we approach Shambhu Barrier, a little kuchha portion is seen near a bridge over the Ghaggar river. Trenches have been dug up on the kuccha portion and iron bricks thrown in even as the path to the river is filled with huge stones. “It will be hard for anyone to cross the road, even through this kuchha path via Ghaggar river,” says Narinder Singh of Rajgarh, a nearby village on the Punjab side, as he watches the arrangements.

“It is a 12-layer barricading,” according to police personnel deployed at the spot. (Express Photo by Gurmeet Singh)

At about 10 am, Gagandeep comes with a crane from Punjab. The crane driver is a resident of Bapraur village in Rajpura, a few kilometres from the barrier. He gets busy, adding a final layer of barricade towards the Punjab side. As he records a video, a Punjab Police official says, “The Haryana administration is getting a layer of stone boulders added as well. Around 200 metres on the Punjab side comes under this barricading.”

“I am from Punjab and farmers from the state are coming towards Delhi. But this is my job and I have to do it,” Gagandeep says.

Ahead of the farmers’ proposed Delhi Chalo march, the Haryana government also ordered the suspension of mobile internet and bulk SMS services in seven districts from February 11 to 13.

“Pichhli baar zyada tayari nahi thi hamari… ab ki baar prepared hain (Last time we were not prepared enough. This time we are),” says a police officer dressed in full -body protective gear as he holds anti-tear gas glasses. The last time, on November 26, 2020, farmers protesting against the controversial agricultural laws had broken barriers and marched ahead towards Delhi’s borders.

“Almost the entire Haryana Police force, paramilitary troops are at the barrier,” he says, adding, “Thousands of farmers’ tractor trolleys are on their way from Beas and they will be halting at Fatehgarh Sahib. Hence the arrangements have been made to stop them if at all they march ahead on February 13 morning.” Some police personnel asked, “How many tractor trolleys are coming from behind? Are they carrying cranes as well?”

At the barrier, where thousands of vehicles cross the border on a daily basis, an over-prepared Haryana Police is keeping a watchful eye from beyond a cemented wall. (Express Photo by Gurmeet Singh)

Eleven kilometres before the Shambhu Barrier, near the popular Simran Dhaba of Rajpura in Punjab, the two-lane National Highway has boards warning about the diversions. The Punjab Police’s temporary barricades announce: ‘Shambu-Ambala NH is closed. Way to Delhi, Banur Airport road, Derabassi, Ambala’. Ahead of the Shambhu Barrier, the Punjab Police diverted traffic at three locations in Rajpura.

At the barrier, where thousands of vehicles cross the border on a daily basis, an over-prepared Haryana Police is keeping a watchful eye from beyond a cemented wall. “Early in the morning, they did a trial run with the tear gas and carried out some physical training. What are they up to? People from Punjab are farmers on tractors only,” says Balwinder Singh, a Punjab villager as he stands near Shambhu police station.

There used to be a British-era bridge here, about 500 metres long and passing over the Ghaggar river. It was demolished about a month ago for some ongoing development project. It was closed anyway. “The kuchha path on the side of the Ghaggar river was dug up by the Haryana administration and stones and bricks thrown in so that even walking through this way would be difficult and painful. Water in the Ghaggar river is at a bare minimum, which is probably why trenches were dug up,” says Jaswinder Singh, a nearby villager who had come to watch the barricading. Soon enough, the entrance of the kuchha path was also blocked using concrete slabs and barbed wires were thrown on the path and even into the river.

CCTV cameras also monitor the area. “The layers of hurdles are so strong that even the persons who had to go for work in Haryana or Punjab had to follow several traffic diversions to reach their workplace,” Singh adds, as he stares at the dug-up riverbed area.

The dhabas on the highway are suffering a huge dip in customers which comes as a big blow to them. Aman Sharma of Midway Dhabha in Rajpura says, “For the past five days, we have had no business. As against 20 litres a day, now only 5 litres of milk is being consumed per day. Above all, will they repair all that damaged infrastructure?”

Sources revealed that Haryana Police force is checking all the videos from 2020 to see how farmers broke through the barricades then. The arrangements have been done keeping this in mind.

Balkar Singh, a Haryana Police officer sitting close to the Punjab border, said the preparations began “since February 8”. In fact, the first round of talks between farmer leaders and central ministers took place on February 8 in Chandigarh. Dharmpal, another police officer who was sitting close to Singh, said, “This time we have body protection guard, tear gas protection glasses and helmets which can be used in case the need arises.”

Sipping a cup of tea at Multani Dhaba close to the barrier, Mahinder Kumar says, “What if the talks on Monday evening are successful… I think in that case they will cancel their protest.”