Ahead of their planned protest in Chandigarh on March 5, several Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) leaders were detained in early morning raids at their residences on Tuesday.
Punjab Police conducted midnight raids at various locations. Several farmer leaders, including Balbir Singh Rajewal, were detained, while Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) leader Dilbag Singh Gill was placed under house arrest.
The police also visited the residence of Joginder Singh Ugrahan, president of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan), in Sangrur, but he was not found.
In response to the police action, SKM has called for an emergency meeting in Ludhiana, reaffirming their plan to proceed with the protest in Chandigarh on March 5.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann denounced the protesting farmer unions, saying they have turned Punjab into a “state of dharnas” and caused huge losses to it.
Speaking to reporters in the Kharar tehsil office in Mohali, Mann said he had categorically told the farmer bodies that they should not remain under the impression that he could not take action.
Farmer leaders and opposition parties criticised the AAP government for the crackdown, which came a day after talks between Chief Minister Mann and SKM leaders ended abruptly with the CM walking out of their meeting.
Mann defended his decision to leave the meeting, stating that he had questioned the farmers about their protest plans. When farmers insisted that the agitation would continue, Mann expressed his frustration, saying, “Then why was I made to sit there for two and a half hours? These demands are not under my authority; they are issues for the central government.” He claimed that the farmers accused him of attending the meeting out of fear, while he maintained that “A meeting and a protest cannot go hand in hand.”
Punjab’s Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian stated that there was no major dispute in Monday’s meeting. He said, “Farmers can meet with us whenever they want. They are respectable members of society. The meeting was conducted in a cordial atmosphere, where eight out of 18 demands were discussed.” He also highlighted that the Chief Minister had urged farmers to avoid frequent protests that disrupt daily life and economic activities in the state.
