Farmers Movement Archive

No relief for commuters crossing Delhi's Singhu border

NEW DELHI: Hundreds of protesters reached Singhu border on Wednesday to protest against the killing of Lakhbir Singh on October 15, allegedly by Nihang Sikhs. The protesters tried to break the police barricades which resulted in a clash in which the cops had to use mild force to bring the situation under control. A police officer told TOI that on Wednesday evening, hundreds of people, marching under the banner of Hind Mazdoor Kisan Samiti, reached the border from Muzaffarnagar. “They wanted to conduct a havan at the spot where Lakhbir Singh was killed. We told them it was on the Haryana side of the border, but they disregarded this information and tried to remove the barricades," the officer added. When the officer was asked whether a baton charge was carried out to disperse the protesters, he replied that the cops had used “mild force” to control the crowd and that no one had been injured. “The protesters are now sitting at 80 Foota Road," the officer said. When asked if the family and relatives of Lakhbir Singh were also present among the protesters, the police officer said there were a few women and children among the agitators, but the cops couldn't identify whether they were from the deceased man’s family. Meanwhile, there is no respite for commuters who wish to cross the Singhu border from Haryana into Delhi. Though the farmers have been claiming that they are facilitating the movement of traffic, on Wednesday, cars and bikes were moving at a snail’s pace. Between 12.30pm and 1.00pm on Wednesday, a long queue of vehicles had lined up at Singhu village. There was frustration all round, not the least for commuters who were driving to their workplaces. The traffic policemen, as usual, were seen telling drivers to take alternative routes. A few drivers also argued with the road staff about what they called “unnecessary diversions”. At Singhu border near Kundli, the farmers had barricaded one side of the road in the morning resulting in massive traffic snarls. The barricades were removed in the afternoon. Manoj, who runs a shop in Singhu village, sat ruing the “bahuth hi bura haal (the very bad conditions)” at the spot. He said, “I started my business a year ago, and right from that time I have suffered due to the farmers’ protest. Every day, commuters contend with hours-long snarls. There’s no respite for anyone.” Recently, the Supreme Court said that farmers had the right to protest against the three central farm laws even when their validity was being challenged in the apex court. But the court was firm in its view that no one could be permitted to block roads indefinitely and encroach on the right of a citizen to commute without hindrance. According to Singh villagers, there are traffic jams from morning till night with vehicles diverted from the highway to the village road. “The condition of the road has deteriorated due to the movement of big, commercial vehicles," said local resident Kalimuddin. According to a Delhi Police officer, the blocking of the highway by the farmers has forced the cops to provide motorists with alternative routes.

The Times of India

2021-10-28

Delhi