CHANDIGARH: The Punjab police have placed under house arrest senior farmer leaders and activists, including Jagjit Singh Dallewal, on the eve of Tuesday’s protest outside the Shambhu police station announced by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM Non-Political). The protest is against the alleged injuries sustained by farmers in police action at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders on March 19.
Sources said a police team reached Dallewal’s village in Faridkot early Monday morning. They asked him to stay indoors for at least three to four days. Subsequently, he uploaded a video on social media about his detention criticising the police action.
Dallewal alleged that when the police forcibly evicted farmers from Khanauri and Shambhu, they allegedly faced police misbehaviour and several of their belongings, including tractors, went missing. The government then assured compensation.
He said the missing stuff was eventually “traced to close associates of AAP leaders and police personnel”. He added, “Instead of taking action against the culprits, the police started booking farmers tracking their missing belongings”. That’s why “we planned an agitation on May 6 against the conduct of the police.
The government has made an attempt to derail our agitation,” he said. Bharatiya Kisan Union (Doaba) president Manjit Singh Rai and other office-bearers, Davinder Singh Sandhwan and Satnam Singh Sahni, were also placed under house arrest. So were leaders like Baldev Singh Sirsa.
The police called the leaders’ detention and the erecting of ‘nakas’ at strategic points on the highways and link roads routine measures to maintain law and order.
After the detentions, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann issued a strong warning, posting on X, “Any announcements, protests or strikes in Punjab that involve blocking roads or railways or cause inconvenience to the general public and disrupt daily life will be considered as acts against the public.
All organisations, unions and groups are advised to take note of this. There are other ways to express opposition, but troubling the people is not right. Otherwise, be prepared for strict legal action. Issued in the interest of the hardworking people of Punjab.”