Farmers’ Protest 2.0: Court Orders Haryana Govt. to Open Shambhu Border

Since the Farmers’ Protest 2.0 started on 13 Feb and Haryana barricaded the Shambhu border, there was a campaign through which farmers were blamed for blocking National Highway 44. Many groups of citizens have petitioned the Punjab and Haryana High Court (PHHC) to evict the farmers. The farmers also petitioned and argued it was not them but the Haryana govt. that caused difficulties for commuters on this road, which links not only Panjab but also Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir to the Indian mainland. On 10 Jul, the PHHC directed the Haryana Government to unblock the Shambhu border. ‘State should wake up, border should not be closed,’ said a division bench of Justice GS Sandhawalia and Justice Vikas Bahl while hearing the Public Interest Litigations. PHHC also directed both the states to ensure that law and order is maintained and the highway is restored.’ Upon Additional Advocate General for Haryana Deepak Sabharwal saying that farmers could enter Haryana, Justice Sandhawalia observed, ‘Men in uniform cannot be scared of the farmers...we are living in a democracy, farmers cannot be stopped from entering Haryana.’ Guramneet Singh Mangat, the convener of the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KKM), said, ‘It is a positive step. We welcome the order. We have already lost over two dozen farmers and hundreds have been injured in the protest so far.’ He said the unions would meet on 11 Jul to discuss the future course of the agitation. This is a moral and legal win for farmers (SDW Vol. 2 Issue 7, Story 1).