Politics

Punjab Bandh: Farmers’ Protest Halts Trains, Blocks Roads, Disrupts Public Transport

On Monday, December 30, Punjabi farmers imposed a bandh (shutdown) from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., which had a major effect on public transportation and commuter traffic. Kisan Mazdoor Morcha and Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) asked for the bandh to voice their displeasure with the Center’s disregard for the demands of farmers who were demonstrating. Farmers blocked traffic on the Patiala-Chandigarh National Highway by staging a sit-in at the Dhareri Jattan Toll Plaza. Blockages were reported in Bathinda’s Rampura Phul, while demonstrators congregated outside the Golden Gate in Amritsar. Despite the extensive disruption, the bandh did not apply to emergency services, such as transportation to hospitals and airports.

The bandh will be rigorously enforced, but vital services will continue to run, according to farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher, to prevent any disruptions for people who have urgent demands like attending weddings, traveling, or medical appointments. The farmers’ principal demand is a legal guarantee of a Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops. They also want debt relief, pensions, no increases in power rates, the dismissal of police charges, and justice for the victims of the Lakhimpur Kheri violence in 2021 that occurred.

Since February 13, when their march to Delhi was interrupted, hundreds of farmers have been camping at the Punjab-Haryana border posts of Shambhu and Khanauri as part of their ongoing protest. A 35-day hunger strike by 70-year-old farmer activist Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who has rejected medical care, heightened their protest. Dallewal has promised that he will not break his fast until the government responds to the fundamental concerns of the farmers. The Supreme Court has given the Punjab government till December 31 to come up with a plan to convince Dallewal to call off his hunger strike. The court has permitted the state to ask the Center for logistical assistance if needed.

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Travel plans were further disrupted when the Indian Railways canceled more than 150 trains in reaction to the bandh, including well-known services like Shatabdi and Vande Bharat. As they continue to demand their rights and justice, farmers and the government are becoming more antagonistic, as seen by the current protest and bandh.