In anticipation of the scheduled ‘rail roko’ protest organized by Sangrur MP and Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) president Simranjit Singh Mann to support the detained social media influencer Bhana Sidhu, numerous party members were apprehended. Despite Mann’s confinement to his Sangrur residence under house arrest, the planned agitation at the ‘Dohla rail crossing’ in Dhuri on February 1 did not materialize, as law enforcement detained party workers from various locations, including Sangrur, Barnala, Malerkotla, Mansa, and more.
Sukhpal Singh Khaira from Congress was the first to give this information on social media while stating,” Is Punjab turning into a military/police state like Pakistan? Why has @SimranjitSADA been detained today by the police of @BhagwantMann despite the fact that he had announced a peaceful protest today against the torturous illegal detention of @BhanaSidhuz ? Are we not allowed to even protest the erroneous decisions of government in Punjab? This is total murder of democracy and murder of our fundamental rights as enshrined in the constitution that @ArvindKejriwal & @BhagwantMann swear by hanging pics of Baba Sahib Ambedkar ji. I vehemently condemn the illegitimate detention of Simranjit Singh Mann MP and in the same breathe urge @BhagwantMann & @ArvindKejriwal to remove pics of Baba Sahib Ambedkar ji as you people don’t adhere to his ideology.
-Khaira.”
Tejinder Singh Deol, SAD (Amritsar) youth wing’s national president, expressed concerns about the freedom of speech and the need for unity in raising voices against perceived injustice. Several leaders, including Hardeep Singh Narike from Amargarh town and Lakha Singh from Guraya village, were also detained.
Simranjit Singh Mann had previously organized gatherings in support of Bhana Sidhu, a vocal critic of the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab, who faced arrest in an extortion case. The arrest triggered protests in various villages, with Mann declaring solidarity at the Dohla railway crossing.
Despite the detentions, protests erupted in Barnala, Mansa, and Sangrur, with youth activists sharing images on social media. Bhana Sidhu, the social media influencer, was arrested on charges of extortion, creating a stir in his hometown. The situation intensified with additional extortion cases filed against him and his brother, sparking mass support for the detained influencer.