Chandigarh:
After police action against Sikh protesters in Ambala and the use of force against protesters in Hansi demanding justice for the murder of a local youth, Haryana Police is bracing for another potential confrontation as farmers from the state and Punjab prepare to march towards Delhi against the proposed India-US trade deal.
The immediate flashpoint is the Khanauri border between Haryana’s Jind and Punjab’s Sangrur, where barricades have been put up and traffic restrictions imposed to prevent farmers from Punjab from entering Haryana.
The mobilisation is being led by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) under farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal. The outfit has begun its ‘Kisan Bachao Padyatra‘ from Datasinghwala village in Punjab this morning, with the march planned towards Jantar Mantar in Delhi.
According to the programme, 51 farmers are participating in the initial leg of the march. The participants are carrying soil from the martyrdom site of farmer Shubhkaran Singh before beginning the foot march at 3 pm.
Shubhkaran Singh was a 21-year-old farmer from Balloh village in the Bathinda district who had joined the farmers’ ‘Delhi Chalo’ march in 2024. He died after sustaining a head injury during clashes between protesting farmers and security forces at the Khanauri border on February 21, 2024. Farmers alleged that he was killed by police firing, while the circumstances surrounding his death became the subject of a dispute.
His death became one of the defining moments of the 2024 farmers’ agitation and turned Khanauri into an emotive symbol of the farmers’ movement. Two years later, the border is once again emerging as a potential flashpoint as farmers seek to cross from Punjab into Haryana on their way to Delhi.
The latest mobilisation comes after two high-profile episodes of police action in Haryana.
In Ambala, Sikh protesters had taken to the streets, with police using force to control the demonstration. The incident has resonated in Punjab, particularly amid heightened sensitivities around Sikh and panthic issues.
In Hansi, protesters demanding justice in the murder of a local youth faced police action, with the use of force triggering questions over the manner in which the Haryana Police handled the demonstration.
Against this backdrop, the administration is taking no chances with the latest farmer mobilisation.
Khanauri is located on the Punjab-Haryana border and has previously been a major flashpoint during farmers’ movements.
Jind Police, however, has clarified that there is no blanket closure of roads across the district. Jind Superintendent of Police Kuldeep Singh said only vehicles travelling to and from Punjab at the Khanauri border have been diverted to alternative routes.
All other major routes in Jind district are currently functioning normally, the police said, adding that traffic arrangements are being continuously monitored to ensure that the public does not face inconvenience.
The developments at Khanauri will be closely watched as the farmers begin their journey towards Delhi. With the border already barricaded and memories of the 2024 agitation still fresh, the manner in which the administration handles the movement could determine whether the latest protest remains peaceful or develops into another confrontation between farmers and the Haryana authorities.
(With inputs from Dilbagh Singh Ahlawat in Jind)
