CHANDIGARH: The Haryana Police on Saturday sealed the Punjab-Haryana border at Khanauri as farmers from Punjab began a 228-km-long ‘Kisan Bachao Padyatra’ from the Khanauri-Data Singhwala border to Jantar Mantar in Delhi. The march is scheduled to reach Delhi on August 29 and is aimed at opposing the proposed India-US trade deal and raising other demands.
Security was tightened at the border with five-layer barricading as hundreds of farmers gathered on the Punjab side.
The immediate flashpoint is the Khanauri border between Jind in Haryana and Sangrur in Punjab, where barricades have been erected and traffic restrictions imposed to prevent farmers from Punjab from entering Haryana.
The Haryana Police have deployed multi-layered barricades, concrete blocks, metal barriers and riot-control personnel. The Jind Police and local administration are closely monitoring the situation and have advised commuters to follow directions issued by the authorities.
Jind Superintendent of Police Kuldeep Singh said the farmer bodies had not received permission for the march and the farmers would not be allowed to enter Haryana and proceed towards Delhi.
“A large police force has been deployed near the Narwana canal bridge and concrete barricades, water cannons and riot control vehicles have been positioned to deal with any attempt to breach the security,” he said, adding that vehicles travelling to and from Punjab at the Khanauri border had been diverted to alternative routes.
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political), led by Jagjit Dallewal, had announced the ‘Kisan Bachao Padyatra’ from the Khanauri-Data Singhwala border. The farmers began the padyatra from Datasinghwala village in Punjab on Saturday morning. According to the programme, 51 farmers are participating in the initial leg of the march. They are carrying soil from the martyrdom site of farmer Shubhkaran Singh before beginning the foot march.
Shubhkaran Singh, 21, a farmer from Balloh village in Bathinda district, had joined the farmers’ ‘Delhi Chalo’ march in 2024. He died after sustaining a head injury during clashes between farmers and police at the Khanauri border on February 21, 2024. Farmers alleged that he was killed in police firing.
The Khanauri border has again emerged as a potential flashpoint as farmers seek to cross from Punjab into Haryana on their way to Delhi.
The unions are demanding a legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP), opposing proposed free-trade agreements and seeking the release of detained leaders.
The development comes amid heightened tensions in Haryana, with police taking action against Sikh protesters in Ambala and using force against protesters in Hansi demanding justice for the murder of a local youth.
The Jind Police clarified that there was no blanket closure of roads across the district. All other major routes in Jind district were functioning normally, while traffic arrangements were being continuously monitored to minimise inconvenience to the public.