Protesting farmers call for shutdown in Punjab today, disrupted traffic, hit trains

Punjab Bandh call by farmers: 10 points

• Farmers blocked important routes, including Airport Road at IISER Chowk in Mohali, Kurali Road Toll Plaza, Ambala-Delhi Highway Toll Plaza near Lalru, and the Kharar-Morinda highway. Major roads and markets across Punjab also remained closed.

• More than 200 places across the country saw roadblocks, causing major disruption. In Amritsar, protesters gathered near the Golden Gate entrance, while in Bathinda’s Rampura Phul, major roads were blocked.

• Railways were affected as the farmers’ ‘Rail Roko Andolan’ led to the cancellation of 163 trains, 19 were temporary, 15 were temporary, 15 were delayed, and nine were derailed.

• Farmers’ leader Sarwan Singh Pandher confirmed that emergency services, including flights, medical needs, and wedding or job interview-related travel, are not included in the bandh.

• To maintain law and order, around 600 policemen were deployed across the Mohali district of Punjab, with senior police officers monitoring the situation.

• Meanwhile, farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal’s hunger strike has entered its 35th day. Dallewal, 70, refused treatment and vowed to continue fasting until the government agrees to the farmers’ demands.

• Earlier, the Supreme Court had directed the Punjab government to persuade Dallewal to seek medical help, giving him an opportunity to seek the Centre’s help if needed.

• Apart from the MSP guarantee, the farmers are demanding loan waiver, pension, no increase in electricity tax, withdrawal of police charges, and justice for the victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence.

• The ongoing agitation has seen farmers camping on the Punjab-Haryana border since February 13, after they were stopped during their march to Delhi.

• Despite attempts to march on foot to the national capital earlier this month, the groups were stopped by security forces in Haryana.