HC orders Haryana to open up Shambhu border within seven days on ‘experimental basis’

Chandigarh: The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday ordered the Haryana government to open up within a week on “experimental basis” the barricade at the Shambhu border near Ambala, where farmers have been camping since February 13.

The court also directed Punjab to ensure that the protesters gathered in their territory are also “duly controlled as and when the situation so requires”. The farmers have summoned a meeting on July 16 to discuss the matter.

Meanwhile, farmer Shubhkaran Singh, who was killed at Khanauri border on February 21, was hit by a shotgun bullet, Haryana additional advocate general Deepak Sabherwal said, quoting a report of the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL).

The farmers have been camping at the Shambhu border since February 13 when their ‘Delhi Chalo’ march was stopped. The Haryana government had set up barricades including cemented blocks at the Ambala-New Delhi national highway in February when Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) had announced their plan to move towards Delhi in support of various demands, including a legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP) for crops.

The high court’s directions came on a bunch of petitions filed on farmer-related issues and against blockade which included the one filed by Haryana-based advocate Uday Pratap Singh.

The high court said, “Both the states shall endeavor to ensure that the highway at Shambhu Border is restored to its original

glory and open to one and all and that the law and order is maintained for the convenience of the public.”