Several INLD leaders of Haryana, including Abhay Chautala, were stopped today from marching into Punjab to undertake the digging of the SYL canal and arrested for breaching the prohibitory orders.
Chautala, along with several INLD leaders, including Ashok Arora and Ram Pal Majra and other party MLAs and workers, totalling 73 were arrested by the Punjab police near Shambhu barrier at Haryana-Punjab border for breaching section 144 of the Cr P C and were whisked away in a Punjab police bus.
The leaders decided to court arrest after the Punjab police with its elaborate security arrangements foiled their attempts to cross over to the state, capping the fears of showdown between the INLD workers and security forces.
"We have arrested them for violating Section 144. They have been booked under Section 188 of IPC (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant)," Punjab Police, DIG, Patiala Range, Ashish Chaudhary said.
Asked if Chautala was among those arrested, he said, "A total of 73 INLD workers including Chautala have been arrested. They will be produced before Rajpura sub divisional magistrate in the evening."
He added that other INLD workers who had gathered near the Shambhu border dispersed following the Punjab police warning to clear the National Highway.
Before their arrest, some INLD workers, in a symbolic gesture of their proposed digging of SYL canal in Punjab, dug up some land near the Haryana-Punjab border on Haryana side.
Amid fears of showdown between INLD workers and security forces, a huge posse of personnel was deployed and about 10-feet high barricades had been put up at the main entry points from Haryana from where the INLD workers had planned to enter Punjab.
A large number of INLD workers led by Chautala, however, managed to cross the barricades put up by the Haryana police on their side at Shambhu barrier as "no resistance" was offered to them by their state police.
Shambu barrier is located on National Highway-1 on Punjab and Haryana border in Patiala district, about 30 km from Chandigarh.
INLD workers marched from Ambala vegetable market, about 3 km from Shambhu barrier after Chautala concluded his address to "Jal Yudh Sammelan" rally and asked his party workers to move towards Kapoori village in Patiala in Punjab peacefully to dig SYL canal in order to take Haryana's share of water from the canal.
Carrying spades and life-size portraits of former Deputy
Prime Minister Devi Lal, INLD workers reached Shambhu barrier on state border from Ambala vegetable on foot and various vehicles with the security forces keeping an eye over them from chopper and drones.
Before crossing the Haryana police barricades, Chautala addressed the party workers from a tractor trolley, urging them not to take law into their hands.
As the INLD workers reached the barricades put by Punjab police, the forces asked them to disperse, reminding them that the prohibitory orders were in force in the area, but some workers tried to climb up the barricades while other sought to dig up the land.
Despite INLD workers looking charged and determined to enter Punjab, the showdown between security forces and INLD workers averted with the INLD leaders deciding to court arrest.
Later talking to the reporters, Chautala accused the BJP-led Haryana government of creating impediments in bringing Haryana's share of water in Ravi-Beas rivers.
"We are committed to what we had said earlier (on bringing Haryana's share of water from SYL canal)," he said .
Meanwhile, despite arrangements in place to divert traffic at many places in view of the INLD's march, commuters remained at the receiving end as nearly 25 km stretch of the NH-1 was completely sealed by the forces.
Some villagers could be seen walking on the national highway to reach their destinations, amid heavy deployment of security forces.
Ten companies of paramilitary forces and nearly 5,000 policemen were deployed by Punjab near villages along the border with Haryana, officials said.
With the police of the two states working in tandem to tackle the situation, the roads were barricaded and steel walls raised at the Shambhu border and heavy police deployment was made at Kapoori village, where the foundation stone of SYL canal was laid in 1982, in Patiala.
Several CCTVs were installed at Shambhu barrier to monitor the workers' activities with divers too kept on stand by to intervene if some one from the swelling mob happen to fall adjoining Ghaggar river.
(REOPENS DEL79)
Meanwhile, amid the INLD stir at Harymna-Punjab border, Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij accused INLD leaders of trying to provoke people to vitiate the peaceful environment needed for implementing the apex court's decision on the SYL issue in a timely manner.
He said the present state government had presented a strong case before the apex court for building the SYL canal and that resulted in its order in favour of the state.
But, the INLD steps are not in the state's interest, said Vij adding Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) and the INLD were colluding against the interests of the people of Haryana to hamper the construction of the canal.
He said the state government would not allow these parties to succeed in their evil designs and would ensure that the people of Haryana get their due share of water.
Vij said as the INLD and other parties were not competent to take a decision in such sensitive matters after the Supreme Court delivered its verdict in favour of Haryana, therefore they were indulging in such petty acts. He said he would felicitate the INLD if they were successful in getting the water through such acts.
Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh, meanwhile, reiterated that building the SYL canal without factoring in the ground realities of the southern part of the state, which has a history of relapsing to militancy, may revive the malady.
Singh said ten lakh acres of the land will go dry in Punjab if the SYL canal is built and about six lakh families will go without food in that belt of Punjab, which already has a history of resorting to militancy.
Yet the Haryana's main opposition was indulging in such gimmickry like digging the SYL canal, rued Singh.
(REOPENS DES77)
Meanwhile, hours after the arrest of their leaders and workers near Shambhu barrier of the Punjab Haryana border, the INLD said the arrested leaders have been sent to Patiala Jail.
The arrested leaders including two party MPs and 15 MLAs, were sent to Patiala Jail, said an INLD release adding that the women leaders and workers, however, have been given bail.
Earlier, while addressing the INLD workers at 'Jal Yudh Sammelan' at Ambala vegetable market, Chautala accused BJP and Congress of doing little to secure the state's share of water from SYL canal.
Chautala also delved into historical details of the formation of Haryana and Chaudhary Devi Lal's role in creation of the state for Hindi-speaking people in 1966 and efforts made by him for securing due water share of the state.
Accusing previous Congress governments of doing little to secure river waters for the state in the last 50 years.
