NEW DELHI: In the midst of the cold and chaos, a wave of uncertainty swept over the weary travellers making their way from Haryana and Punjab to Delhi. What should have been a routine journey turned into a daunting ordeal as they found themselves abruptly halted just a kilometre shy of the ‘sealed’ Singhu border on Tuesday.
As they approached Singhu, a formidable sight greeted them - layers upon layers of iron barricades adorned with menacing barbed wire, a stark symbol of the tensions that gripped the region. The once bustling traffic came to an abrupt standstill around 12:30 pm, mirroring the clash between farmers and the Haryana Police 190 kilometres away at the Shambhu border in Ambala.
Forced to disembark from their passenger buses well before the barricades, travellers, young and old alike, were left to navigate the uncertain terrain on foot, their destination seemingly out of reach.
Among them was Hem Singh, a 42-year-old man en route from Karnal to attend his nephew’s wedding in Gokalpur with his family in tow. “All the passengers were asked to get down from the bus. I have several bags. How will I now reach Delhi on time?” he lamented, grappling with the sudden disruption.
Similarly, Satpal Sharma, returning from Panipat to his residence in Chattarpur, found himself stranded, his plans derailed by unforeseen circumstances.
Even Satya Prakash, travelling all the way from Himachal Pradesh for work, was taken aback by the sealed border. “We have to go to Delhi for some work. The bus driver dropped us at the border from where we are walking towards the national capital,” he explained, resigned to the long trek ahead.
In the midst of it all, Reema Devi, an elderly woman with her little granddaughter in tow, trudged along the Singhu border, her frustration palpable as she hoisted her luggage overhead, refusing to engage with the media.
In the face of adversity, their resilience shone through, a testament to the human spirit’s ability to endure even in the most trying of circumstances.
Special Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Ravindra Yadav, who visited the fortified Singhu border this evening, told police personnel and paramilitary jawans deployed there that if the farmers manage to enter Delhi “our whole operation will fail”.