Shambhu Border Deserted Following Police Crackdown; Farmer Leaders Arrested, Security Enhanced

Shambhu Border, March 20, 2025.
In a new development in the early hours of Thursday, the security personnel at Haryana commenced pulling down cemented barricades along the Shambhu border, after they evicted protesters from farmers gathered there. The barricades had been erected earlier to stop the push of farmers from Punjab to Delhi and were now dismantled to bring life back to normalcy and continue the flow of traffic on the Shambhu-Ambala road.

The region now has an abandoned appearance following Wednesday‘s dramatic police action, where temporary huts, trolleys, and improvised shelters—occupied by protesting farmers for more than a year were demolished to the ground with JCB machines.

Adding to the tensions, some major farmer leaders were arrested, among them Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who is on an indefinite fast, and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha leader Sarvan Singh Pandher. The arrests evoked sharp responses in the farming community. Senior farmer leader and Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) spokesperson Rakesh Tikait condemned the move of the Punjab government as unfair against the peaceful protesters.

In the meantime, security continues to be beefed up along the Haryana-Punjab Shambhu border to ensure no further flare-up.

Barricades torn down, protest tents destroyed as Haryana Police disperse farmers; BKU‘s Rakesh Tikait criticizes Punjab government‘s move.

The action comes on the heels of the inconclusive seventh round of discussions between farmer leaders and the central team on Wednesday, where Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan stated that the next meeting would be held on May 4, 2025.

With serenity returning to the Shambhu border, the future of the age–old farmers’ agitation remains uncertain, with the leadership in custody and negotiations at a standstill.

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