Section 144 empowers a magistrate to prohibit an assembly of more than four people in an area. Patiala senior superintendent of police (SSP) S Bhoopathi said the police has also decided to divert traffic on national highway-1 and other roads leading to Punjab from Haryana. The Haryana government has reportedly decided to invoke Section 144 in Ambala as well. Additional force from the Entire Patiala Range Police, which comprises Patiala, Sangrur, SAS Nagar, Fatehgarh Sahib and Rupnagar, has also been mobilised. Besides barricades, water cannons, tear gas shell firing squad and horse squads have also been shifted to Patiala.

Source: Hindustan Times February 20, 2017 16:52 UTC