New Delhi: At 4pm sharp, farmers across Punjab withdrew from state and national highways and railway tracks, thus, ending their state-wide bandh. Declaring the bandh a success, the farmer organisations expressed satisfaction with the overwhelming support from various sectors.
The protest, which began at 7am, witnessed farmers blocking major roads and railway lines, including the overhead railway line on Aerocity Road in Mohali. Protesters also occupied other major locations, including the Dhareri Jattan Toll Plaza on the Patiala-Chandigarh National Highway, Golden Gate in Amritsar, Rampura Phul in Bathinda, and areas in Phagwara.
What the farmers are demanding
- A legal guarantee of MSP
- Implementation of the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations
- Enactment of the Land Acquisition Act 2013
- Withdrawal of cases filed during earlier protests
- Waiver of farmers’ loans and provision of pensions
- Government payment of crop insurance scheme premiums
- Punishment for those responsible for the Lakhimpur Kheri incident
- Jobs for the families of farmers who lost their lives during protests
Essential services, including emergency medical transport and passengers heading to airports, were allowed to pass. However, commuters across Punjab faced severe disruptions as public transport services were largely suspended, and private operators halted their operations. Over 163 trains were cancelled, and numerous routes were altered, causing inconvenience to commuters.
Markets and businesses in major cities such as Mohali, Amritsar, and Bathinda remained closed, with grain markets also shut down.
Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher described the bandh as a testament to the farmers’ unity. “Transporters, employee unions, traders, and religious organisations stood with us,” he said. Pandher assured that the protest was conducted responsibly, with exceptions made for emergencies, job interviews, and weddings.
Demands and ongoing hunger strike
In the midst of the bandh, the hunger strike by farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal entered its 35th day. The 70-year-old leader has refused medical treatment and vowed not to break his fast until the government meets the farmers’ demand for a legal MSP guarantee. The Supreme Court has given the Punjab government until December 31 to persuade Dallewal to shift to a hospital, granting the state permission to seek logistical support from the central government if necessary.
