NH-48 stretch near Masani Barrage opened to traffic as farmers vacate protest site

Meanwhile, officials said heavy police deployment will continue in that section of the expressway.

The stretch of National Highway 48 (NH48) near Masani Barrage, which had been closed ever ince farmers moved into Rewari almost a month ago, was reopened to traffic on Thursday morning after the farmers moved back to the Haryana-Rajasthan border following an ultimatum from local residents.

“The farmers had started moving out of the area on Wednesday evening itself, and by Thursday morning we cleared the stretch and reopened it to traffic,” said Abhishek Jorwal, Superintendent of Police, Rewari.

Meanwhile, officials said heavy police deployment will continue in that section of the expressway.

“We have 6 to 7 companies deployed there, which is around 400 personnel, who will continue to remain in place…The situation is peaceful as of now,” said the SP.

It was on Wednesday morning that panchayats of around 20 villages in Rewari had held a meeting and decided to give an ultimatum to the farmers protesting at Masani Barrage since December 31, when they had broken through police barricades and entered Rewari before being stopped by police there. The farmers have ever since been camping below the barrage.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Lalram, the sarpanch of Masani village, had stated that local residents had already been perturbed by the presence of the farmers and had been facing issues, with the protestors allegedly ruining their crops, breaking the roads, and undoing the work that had been done to make theirs an open defecation free area.

The violence that prevailed in other parts of the National Capital Region (NCR) during the tractor parade on Tuesday, however, he said, was the last straw.

“We are very upset because of the violence that has happened yesterday, and have asked the protestors to empty the area because of it. The incident has shamed India and every person here is also responsible for this, we cannot tolerate such things, ours is a peaceful area,” he had said.

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