The Shambhu border, which separates Haryana and Punjab, has become Ground Zero for the ongoing farmers’ protest. Farmer leaders have been strategically positioned in a buffer zone to avoid potential clashes with the police.

In preparation for a march towards Delhi, farmer organisations have formed a human chain at the Shambhu border. On one side, a lineup of excavators and tractors stands in defiance, and the Haryana Police on the other. The Punjab and Haryana Police are on high alert, with concerns over the potential use of heavy machinery by the protesting farmers to break barricades and enter Haryana. 

As the confrontation intensifies, Delhi Police has fortified the national capital with a multi-layered security apparatus. Delhi’s critical border points – Singhu Border, Tikri Border, and Ghazipur Border – are fortified with barricades made of barbed wire, nails, cement, and stone walls, supplemented by water cannons and anti-riot equipment. 

The imposition of security measures includes the deployment of long-range acoustic devices (LRAD), producing unbearable noise, and the cancellation of all leaves for Delhi Police personnel. Historical landmarks like the Red Fort and India Gate have also been placed under heavy security.

The Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana have become focal points of the ongoing standoff. Farmers, equipped with excavators, are determined to break through the barricades erected by Haryana security personnel. 

Despite four rounds of talks between farmer leaders and Union ministers, the stalemate continues. The recent rejection of the government’s proposal to buy pulses, maize, and cotton crops at the minimum support price (MSP) for five years has further fueled the resolve of the protesting farmers. 

In response to the escalating tensions, the Haryana government has extended the ban on mobile internet and bulk text-message services in seven districts. Ambala, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Jind, Hisar, Fatehabad, and Sirsa remain under these restrictions, emphasizing the government’s concerns about maintaining law and order. Despite the confrontational atmosphere, farmer leaders insist on a peaceful march towards Delhi from the Shambhu and Khanauri border points.

The demands put forth by the protesting farmers, including a legal guarantee on the minimum support price (MSP), the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations, and a farm loan waiver, remain at the core of the agitation. 

In a massive operation spanning over two days, the police have unearthed a staggering 1,100 kilograms of the banned drug Mephedrone (MD) –  street name ‘Meow Meow’ – with an estimated value exceeding Rs 2,500 crore in raids across Pune and New Delhi. 

According to the police, the operation began with the arrest of three drug smugglers in Pune, accompanied by the seizure of 700 kg of Mephedrone. The subsequent interrogation of these individuals led to the confiscation of an additional 400 kg of the synthetic stimulant from godown-like structures in Delhi’s Hauz Khas area. 

Another large consignment of Mephedrone was stored in Pune, particularly in the Kurkumbh MIDC area.

The sheer magnitude of this drug bust marks it as the largest-ever drug recovery by Pune Police in Maharashtra and one of the most substantial drug busts in the country. 

Drug Supply Lines

Preliminary investigations indicate that the contraband was being transported from the Kurkumbh MIDC-based units to storage facilities in New Delhi. The police have apprehended five individuals in connection with the operation, including three couriers and two others currently under interrogation.

The arrested individuals, described as “courier boys” by Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar, have previous offenses registered against them.

Commissioner Kumar said the police are diligently probing the case, collaborating closely with other agencies to dismantle potential connections within the drug trade.

One of those detained in connection with the case is Anil Sable, an owner of the Pune factory where the drugs were stored. Sable was apprehended from Dombivali in Maharashtra’s Thane in the morning. 

The police also suspect a potential link between the detained individuals and notorious drug trafficker Lalit Patil. Investigations are ongoing to determine the extent of Patil’s involvement in the case.

The Drug Bust 

Pune Police’s crackdown on the drug smuggling network began from a salt warehouse in Pune.  Raids in Bhairavnagar and Vishrantwadi areas led to the arrest of three smugglers and the seizure of Mephedrone worth Rs 3.5 crore.

Simultaneously, the Pune Police’s counterparts in Delhi conducted a major operation in the Hauz Khas area, recovering drugs worth about Rs 1,000 crore. The raid is currently ongoing, in a joint effort by Pune and Delhi Police, with estimates that the final count could exceed Rs 3,000 crore. 

Terminating a woman’s employment on the grounds of marriage was “coarse case of gender discrimination” and any law based on a gender bias is “constitutionally impermissible”, the Supreme Court has said, ordering the Centre to pay Rs 60 lakh in dues to a military nurse who was removed from service after she married.

A bench of Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Dipankar Dutta passed the order on a request by Selina John, who was terminated from service upon her marriage in 1988. At the time, she held the rank of Lieutenant. She had approached the Armed Forces Tribunal in 2012, which ruled in her favour and ordered that she be reinstated. In 2019, however, the Centre appealed against the order in the Supreme Court.

In an order dated February 14, the bench held that the tribunal judgment does not require any interference. A rule introduced in 1977 that allowed dismissal from the Military Nursing Service on the grounds of marriage had been withdrawn in 1995, the court noted.

“Such rule was ex facie manifestly arbitrary, as terminating employment because the woman has got married is a coarse case of gender discrimination and inequality. Acceptance of such patriarchal rule undermines human dignity, right to non-discrimination and fair treatment. Laws and regulations based on gender-based bias are constitutionally impermissible. Rules making marriage of women employees and their domestic involvement a ground for disentitlement would be unconstitutional,” the bench said in the order.

The bench, however, modified the tribunal’s ruling to reinstate the employee and provide back wages. Instead, it asked the Centre to pay Rs 60 lakh in compensation. The bench also noted that LJohn had worked as a nurse in a private organisation for a short time. The court said the payment of compensation must be made within eight weeks of the Centre receiving the order.