Traffic movement resumed on the Shambhu-Ambala Highway on Thursday after more than a year, while the Khanauri border point is set to reopen with Haryana Police removing roadblocks.
This follows Punjab Police's crackdown on protesting farmers, where leaders were detained and temporary structures at the protest site were dismantled. Farmers reacted by staging demonstrations in Punjab, including Moga, Tarn Taran, Muktsar, and Faridkot. Some detained protesters reportedly started a hunger strike. In Moga, a scuffle broke out between farmers and police near the deputy commissioner’s office.
Political parties responded to the developments. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) reiterated its support for farmers but stated that road reopening was necessary for Punjab’s economy. The BJP accused Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann of clearing protest sites before the Ludhiana West bypoll for political gain. The Congress alleged that both AAP and BJP were working together.
Farmers criticized the AAP government for detaining their leaders and removing protesters from Shambhu and Khanauri. They had been camping at these points since February 13 last year after being stopped from marching to Delhi. To block their movement, Haryana Police had placed cement barricades, iron nails, and barbed wire, causing traffic disruption on Shambhu-Ambala and Sangrur-Jind roads for over a year.
On Thursday, Haryana security personnel began removing barriers on the Shambhu-Ambala Highway, allowing traffic to resume. Efforts to clear the Khanauri border are ongoing.
