SKM protest: Punjab police stops farmers from going to Chandigarh

Chandigarh: Farmers under the banner of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha were stopped from going to Chandigarh for their week-long dharna beginning Wednesday in support of their various demands, with multiple barricades and checkpoints set up across Punjab and security stepped up at all entry points of the Union Territory.

The Morcha, which is a conglomerate of more than 30 farmer bodies, had given a call for the dharna in Chandigarh starting March 5 in support of their various demands.

Punjab Police Deputy Inspector General of Police H S Bhullar said the protesting farmers will not be allowed to reach Chandigarh at any cost.

"Wherever any farmer came out (on roads), police of that area stopped them," Bhullar said.

Farmers, who left for Chandigarh in tractor-trolleys and other vehicles on Wednesday morning, were stopped by the Punjab Police at many places.

In Moga, Krantikari Kisan Union district Moga president Jatinder Singh said they were stopped at Ajitwal in Moga district by the police when they were going to Chandigarh. Singh claimed some of them were "detained" by police.

Farmers raised slogans against the Bhagwant Mann government for not allowing them to go to Chandigarh.

In Samrala also, farmers were stopped by police from moving to Chandigarh, they said.

In Patiala, a senior police official said police will ensure that there is no movement of protesting farmers towards Chandigarh. He said police will ensure the general public do not face any inconvenience.

In Moga, police erected barricades at Chuhar Chak area to prevent farmers from moving towards Chandigarh.

A police official said 100 police personnel have been deployed at the checkpoint and that every vehicle was being checked to stop farmers from going to Chandigarh.

In Sangrur, police put up checkpoints at many places, including Gharachon and Bhawanigarh. In Kharar, policemen were deployed at Bhago Majra toll plaza.

Chandigarh police put up barricades at the Chandigarh-Mohali border points to prevent protesting farmers from entering the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana.

Security was beefed up at the entry points to Chandigarh from Mohali.Policemen were checking vehicles and were even verifying people where they were going to Chandigarh.

Police also deployed anti-riot vehicles, ambulances and fire brigades at several places.

The intensive checking disrupted traffic from Mohali to Chandigarh at the border points, leading to a long queue of vehicles, causing inconvenience to commuters.

Chandigarh Superintendent of Police Geetanjali Khandelwal said police personnel have been deployed at all the border points.

"Barricading has been put up and strict checking is being done. We want people to face minimum inconvenience. But wherever we suspect traffic snarls we have directed traffic routes," she told reporters.

The Chandigarh administration has denied permission to farmers to hold their sit-in at Sector 34 in the city.

On Tuesday, the Chandigarh Police had issued an advisory, saying traffic movement on certain road stretches may be regulated on March 5 to ensure smooth vehicular flow and public safety.

On Tuesday, Punjab Police "detained" several farmer leaders, including Balbir Singh Rajewal, Ruldu Singh Mansa, Gurmeet Singh Bhatiwal, Nachhttar Singh Jaiton, Veerpal Singh Dhillon, Binder Singh Golewal, Gurnam Bhikhi and Harmesh Singh.

SKM leader Joginder Singh Ugrahan on Tuesday had called upon farmer leaders to head towards Chandigarh.

He had asked farmers to sit at a vacant place if they are stopped by police on their way to Chandigarh, telling them not to block any road.

Punjab Chief Minister Mann on Tuesday lashed out at several farmer bodies for resorting to protests every other day, turning Punjab into a "state of dharnas" and causing a huge loss to the state.

Mann denouncing farmer organisations after talks between the Punjab government and SKM leaders to discuss farmers' demands broke down midway on Monday.

The SKM, which had led the 2020 agitation against the now-repealed three farm laws, is demanding the withdrawal of the Centre's draft of the National Policy Framework on Agricultural Marketing, a legal guarantee to minimum support price as per the Swaminathan Commission report, implementing the state's agricultural policy and purchase of six crops including basmati, maize, moong, potato at minimum support price by the state government.

They are also demanding a law for debt settlement, ownership rights of land tillers ensuring canal water to every field, payment of sugarcane arrears, stopping "forcible" acquisition of land for the Bharatmala projects and jobs and compensation for kin of farmers who lost lives during the farmers' stir in 2020-21.