Latest news with #Dallewal
New Indian Express
06-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Punjab cops stop farmers from reaching police station for day-long dharna, Dallewal warns of fresh protest
Irked that many farmers leaders have been placed under house arrest, Dallewal, in a video message uploaded on Tuesday, said the farmer unions only wanted to raise their voice against the police action on March 19-20 but the AAP-led Punjab government has turned the state into a garrison and started a crackdown against farmers. "Many of the leaders detained yesterday have been sent to jails including our leader Kaka Singh Kotda. CM Mann should keep in mind that such state repression may push them towards launching another protest. The protests can never be silenced through coercion as more repression faces more resistance and rising voices do not tolerate dictatorship," he said. Sarwan Singh Pandher, convener of the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, said Punjab appears to have turned into a police state. "Peaceful protests against the state government are not allowed,' he said. Farmers, mainly activists of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh committee, were stopped at Ajitwal town in Moga and a few of them were even taken into custody, claimed farmer leaders. Farmers from Ambala in Haryana were also not allowed to reach Shambhu, being stopped at Gurdwara Manji Sahib. "Punjab police reached the gurudwara in plain clothes and studied their movements," claimed a Haryana farmer leader. The dharna is in response to the police crackdown on March 19, when farmer leaders were detained after a meeting with Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Chandigarh. The Shambhu and Khanauri protest sites were cleared by the state police on the same day. The farmers are demanding compensation for the items that had allegedly been stolen or gone missing during the police crackdown at Shambhu, which they claimed were later traced to individuals linked to the Aam Aadmi Party and police personnel.
Indian Express
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
‘What you resist, will persist': Jagjit Dallewal's message to Punjab CM as cops intensify crackdown to thwart farmers' stir
The Punjab Police continued its massive statewide crackdown against farmer leaders for the second day, and protesters under the banner of Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) and Samyukt Kisan Morcha (non-political) were on Tuesday prevented from reaching Shambhu police station for a planned day-long stir. Efforts to thwart the protest call included widespread detentions, roadblocks, and house arrests. The agitation was announced to condemn the Punjab government's alleged use of excessive force during the March 19–20 clearance of protest sites in Shambu and Khanauri, when the police reportedly dismantled tents, seized equipment, and caused damage worth crores to farmers. The unions have demanded compensation and an apology, terming the crackdown a violation of democratic rights. On Tuesday morning, Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who has been under house arrest since Monday, issued a video message, strongly condemning the government's actions. 'We had given a call for a one-day symbolic protest outside Shambhu police station. Yet, the Bhagwant Mann -led government has turned it into chaos by launching a statewide crackdown and arresting farmers,' he said. 'Many of our members who were detained yesterday have been sent to jail now, including Kaka Singh Kotra, general secretary of BKU Sidhupur. This is nothing but state repression, and the government is now pushing us towards launching a new agitation,' Dallewal said, adding, 'Let me remind the CM: what you resist, will persist. You cannot silence our voice through coercion. This is a democracy, not a dictatorship.' Dallewal also questioned Mann's double standards: 'If protesting is a crime, then what moral ground do you have to stage dharnas in Delhi over the arrest of your leaders Manish Sisodia and Arvind Kejriwal, who are allegedly involved in scams? Your hypocrisy and double talk stand exposed. The people of Punjab must now rise against this high-handedness and undemocratic behaviour with a united face.' He concluded with a warning: 'Despite all the barricades and arrests, we will not back down. I guarantee the chief minister — people will reach Shambhu police station, no matter what.' Heavy barricading was seen on all roads leading to the Shambhu border, including routes from Ludhiana, Rajpura, Patiala, Ghanaur, and Ambala. The police deployed tippers, trucks, and used barricades to block farmer convoys. In Ambala, Haryana-based farmers from Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU-Shaheed Bhagat Singh) gathered at Manji Sahib Gurdwara but were unable to move forward. 'The Punjab police have blocked the roads and the chief minister blames us for creating obstructions,' said Tejveer Singh, spokesperson of the union. In Moga, members of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC) who had gathered at Ajitwal grain market were also stopped. 'Seven of our senior leaders were detained by the Moga police. The market gate was locked to prevent others from moving out,' said KMSC press secretary Kaka Josan. Among those detained was KMSC district general secretary Ranbir Singh Thatha. According to farmer leaders, besides Dallewal, dozens of union heads have either been detained or placed under house arrest since early Monday. Those under house arrest since Monday morning include Baldev Singh Sirsa and Harsulinder Singh Kishangarh. On Monday, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann issued a statement: 'No protest will be allowed that disturbs public life. Road and rail blockades, or any such demonstrations that hinder daily work and trouble common people, will be treated as actions against public interest. All organisations and unions are advised to adopt alternative, peaceful means of protest. Strict legal action will be taken if public movement is obstructed.' Farmer unions, however, maintained that their protest outside Shambhu police station would be symbolic and was not meant to block any roads or railway lines. 'We only planned to gather outside the police station. The way the government has responded shows it is unwilling to listen to farmers unless there is disruption,' said Sarwan Singh Pandher, coordinator of KMM, on Monday evening. Pandher was unreachable on Tuesday morning as his associates said they did not know if he was detained. The unions have also announced a rail roko protest at Devidas Pura railway station in Amritsar on Wednesday, targeting the Delhi-Amritsar line, to protest against the alleged illegal acquisition of farmers' land under Bharatmala projects without providing adequate compensation. The Indian Express attempted to contact Varun Sharma, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Patiala, for a statement regarding the detentions and road closures, but he could not be reached. As the standoff continues, farmer unions are holding local meetings and mobilising at the village level to keep the momentum going. 'If we are stopped from peaceful protests, we will be forced to adopt stronger means,' said one union leader.
Hindustan Times
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
BKU faction leaders ‘detained' by Punjab Police day ahead of protest, alleges Dallewal
Key activists of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta Sidhupur), including president Jagjit Singh Dallewal, were detained on Tuesday in various districts ahead of the call for a one-day dharna outside Shambhu police station, farmers leaders said. According to the information, union president Dallewal has been asked by the police not to leave his residence in the Faridkot district. A team of police officials reached Dallewal village at around 4 am and asked the veteran farm leader to stay at his house for the next 3-4 days. Police authorities, however, didn't comment on the issue, with the top brass remaining tight-lipped over the action. Several other leaders faced a similar ordeal in different districts of the state, the farmer leaders said. Among those detained are Manjit Singh Rai and Davinder Singh. Official sources said several other leaders are facing police action to ensure that BKU (Sidhupur) cannot mobilise its cadre for tomorrow's agitation. The farmers' body had recently announced to hold a protest outside the Shambhu police station on Tuesday against the state government's alleged use of repressive methods to evict them from their protest morchas in March, and also demanding strict action against those people who stole many of their belongings when they were evicted. Dallewal posted a video on his Facebook page to criticise the police action against the Sidhupur faction. He said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government is harassing the farmers' rights group, which is fighting for justice. Dallewal said the union activists were scheduled to gather outside the Shambhu police station to highlight the alleged police misconduct and harassment of union volunteers. He said when the dharnas site at Khanauri and Shambhu were forcibly evicted by the police, the volunteers faced police misbehaviour and tractor trolleys and several other items of farmers went missing. 'When our union demanded compensation for missing articles, the state police head ensured that losses would be compensated. The missing things were traced to close associates of AAP leaders and police personnel. Instead of initiating swift action against the culprit, the police started booking individuals who were tracking the missing farmers' articles. Now, when we planned against the police conduct, the government started an attempt to derail our agitation for May 6,' said Dallewal. On March 19, the Punjab Police had cracked down on agitating farmers, detaining their leaders in Mohali when they were returning from a meeting with a central delegation led by agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Chandigarh. The farmer leaders and some other farmers who were detained were released in subsequent days.
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Business Standard
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
Day before protest, several SKM leaders put under 'house arrest' in Punjab
Farmer leaders have claimed that several Samyukt Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) leaders, including Jagjit Singh Dallewal, were put under house arrest by the Punjab government on Monday, ahead of their scheduled protest outside the Shambhu police station. The May 6 protest was called against the Punjab government over its alleged use of repressive methods to evict protesting farmers from Shambhu and Khanauri border points in March. The farmer leaders claimed that Punjab Police personnel reached their houses early morning to detain them. They said police wanted to prevent them from mobilising people for Tuesday's protest. "Dallewal was put under house arrest at around 4 am at his house in Faridkot district," a farmer leader said. Several other leaders faced a similar ordeal in different districts of the state, the farmer leaders said. Among those detained are Manjit Singh Rai and Davinder Singh. The farmers' body had recently announced to hold a protest outside the Shambhu police station on Tuesday against the state government's alleged use of repressive methods to evict them from their protest morchas in March, and also demanding strict action against those people who stole many of their belongings when they were evicted. Following his alleged house arrest, Dallewal, who had ended his prolonged fast in April, uploaded a video on social media. "I am still weak and even now, I can barely walk, and yet they have confined me to my home," Dallewal said, adding that they had announced a day's peaceful protest outside the Shambhu police station, but the government got "scared" and is not allowing them to gather. In the past, many farmer leaders have alleged that the protesters suffered heavy losses as their trolleys and other belongings were stolen from the Shambhu and Khanauri border points following police action and not all the lost belongings had been recovered. Dallewal said the state police had assured that farmers would be compensated for the loss of their stolen articles, which have not been recovered. "Rather than taking prompt action against the culprits, the police started registering cases against those people who were assisting in tracing the missing articles of farmers... When we called for a protest on May 6, the government got so scared that it decided to not let us gather," Dallewal said. On March 19, the Punjab Police had cracked down on agitating farmers, detaining their leaders in Mohali when they were returning from a meeting with a central delegation led by Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Chandigarh. The farmer leaders and some other farmers who were detained were released in subsequent days. The meeting was organised to discuss the farmers' demands, which include the MSP guarantee. Punjab Police had also evicted farmers and dismantled temporary structures from the Shambhu and Khanauri border points, where the sit-ins were being held by them for over a year. Dallewal is a senior leader of a joint forum of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM), which had spearheaded the agitation at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points in support of their various demands. Dallewal had begun his indefinite hunger strike on November 26 last year to press the Centre to accept the farmers' demands. He had ended his fast-unto-death in early April after Punjab Police cracked down on agitating farmers.
Hindustan Times
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Day before protest, several SKM leaders put under 'house arrest' in Punjab: Farmer leaders
Chandigarh, Farmer leaders have claimed that several Samyukt Kisan Morcha leaders, including Jagjit Singh Dallewal, were put under house arrest by the Punjab government on Monday, ahead of their scheduled protest outside the Shambhu police station. The May 6 protest was called against the Punjab government over its alleged use of repressive methods to evict protesting farmers from Shambhu and Khanauri border points in March. The farmer leaders claimed that Punjab Police personnel reached their houses early morning to detain them. They said police wanted to prevent them from mobilising people for Tuesday's protest. "Dallewal was put under house arrest at around 4 am at his house in Faridkot district," a farmer leader said. Several other leaders faced a similar ordeal in different districts of the state, the farmer leaders said. Among those detained are Manjit Singh Rai and Davinder Singh. The farmers' body had recently announced to hold a protest outside the Shambhu police station on Tuesday against the state government's alleged use of repressive methods to evict them from their protest morchas in March, and also demanding strict action against those people who stole many of their belongings when they were evicted. Following his alleged house arrest, Dallewal, who had ended his prolonged fast in April, uploaded a video on social media. "I am still weak and even now, I can barely walk, and yet they have confined me to my home," Dallewal said, adding that they had announced a day's peaceful protest outside the Shambhu police station, but the government got "scared" and is not allowing them to gather. In the past, many farmer leaders have alleged that the protesters suffered heavy losses as their trolleys and other belongings were stolen from the Shambhu and Khanauri border points following police action and not all the lost belongings had been recovered. Dallewal said the state police had assured that farmers would be compensated for the loss of their stolen articles, which have not been recovered. "Rather than taking prompt action against the culprits, the police started registering cases against those people who were assisting in tracing the missing articles of farmers... When we called for a protest on May 6, the government got so scared that it decided to not let us gather," Dallewal said. On March 19, the Punjab Police had cracked down on agitating farmers, detaining their leaders in Mohali when they were returning from a meeting with a central delegation led by Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Chandigarh. The farmer leaders and some other farmers who were detained were released in subsequent days. The meeting was organised to discuss the farmers' demands, which include the MSP guarantee. Punjab Police had also evicted farmers and dismantled temporary structures from the Shambhu and Khanauri border points, where the sit-ins were being held by them for over a year. Dallewal is a senior leader of a joint forum of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha , which had spearheaded the agitation at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points in support of their various demands. Dallewal had begun his indefinite hunger strike on November 26 last year to press the Centre to accept the farmers' demands. He had ended his fast-unto-death in early April after Punjab Police cracked down on agitating farmers.
