Cops block farmers, prevent Shambhu sit-in; Dallewal accuses CM Bhagwant Mann of turning Punjab Into A ‘Garrison'

Time of India

06-05-2025

Bathinda: The Punjab Police intensified its crackdown on protesting farmers associated with farm forums Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha for the second consecutive day on Tuesday, preventing them from reaching Shambhu for a sit-in outside the local police station by making detentions and putting senior leaders, including Jagjit Singh Dallewal, under house arrest.The action comes following a warning by chief minister Bhagwant Mann against any road or rail blockades or protests causing public inconvenience.Roads leading to Shambhu were heavily barricaded, with even loaded tippers being strategically placed to block the movement of protesting convoys.The crackdown extended beyond Punjab's borders. In Haryana, including Ambala, protesters primarily associated with BKU (Shaheed Bhagat Singh) were prevented from reaching Shambhu. They were stopped at Gurdwara Manji Sahib, with Haryana-based farmer leader Tejveer Singh alleging that "Punjab Police reached the gurdwara in plainclothes and studied their movements".In Punjab's Moga district, at Ajitwal town, activists of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee were also intercepted, with farm leaders stating that some were even taken into custody.The farm forums had planned the demonstration to protest the police's recent actions, including the arrest of farmer leaders on March 19 after a meeting with central and state ministers, subsequent demolition of protest sites, and the alleged assault on farmer leader Balwant Singh Behramke on March 20. The farmers had also expressed outrage over the disappearance of their belongings, including tractor trailers, from the protest sites.Farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, angered by the arrests and house arrests, released a video message on Tuesday morning strongly condemning the govt's actions. He stated that the farm forums merely intended to voice their concerns regarding the police actions of March 19-20.He accused the Mann-led government of transforming Punjab into a "garrison" and launching a widespread crackdown on farmers. He said that many leaders detained on Monday, including Kaka Singh Kotda, had been sent to jail. Dallewal cautioned Mann that such state repression could incite further protests.He asserted that protests cannot be suppressed through coercion, emphasising that increased repression would only lead to greater resistance and that the rising voices of dissent would not tolerate authoritarianism. He questioned the "double standards" of the CM and his party leaders, who themselves have participated in protests in Delhi and Punjab, yet seem unwilling to concede to the farmers' right to protest.BOXThreat to block rail trafficKisan Mazdoor Morcha, expressing anger over the acquisition of farmlands for road projects against the farmers' wishes, announced plans to block rail traffic at Devidaspura near Amritsar starting Wednesday. "We will continue protests and will sit wherever we are stopped and will mobilise people against such high-handedness from the state govt led by a political party which claims to have originated from the protests and struggles," declared farm leaders, adding that numerous activists from the BKU (Ekta Azad) organisation have been detained in Mangwal village near Sangrur.MSID:: 120924755 413 |