Punjab Police thwarted farmers' attempt to march to Chandigarh on the Samyukta Kisan Morcha's call for a week-long dharna beginning Wednesday, as multiple checkpoints were set up across the state and security stepped up at all entry points of the Union Territory.
Meanwhile, a farmer leader said the SKM has called off their proposed Chandigarh march and will decide about the next course of action in a meeting on March 7 in Ludhiana.
The SKM, a conglomerate of more than 30 farmer bodies, had given the call for the sit-in in Chandigarh in support of farmers' various demands including purchase of six crops at minimum support price by the state government.
Farmers, who left for Chandigarh in tractor-trolleys and other vehicles on Wednesday morning, were stopped by the Punjab Police at many places on the highways and other roads.
The SKM strongly condemned the Aam Aadmi Party government for preventing farmers from going to the UT for raising their voice in support of their demands.
SKM leaders claimed many farmers were detained by police when they were on their way to Chandigarh while several others started holding protests where they were stopped.
Deputy Inspector General of Police (Ropar Range) Harcharan Singh Bhullar said the protesting farmers would not be allowed to reach Chandigarh at any cost.
"Wherever any farmer came out (on roads), police of that area stopped them there itself. They were sitting there peacefully," Bhullar said, adding the situation in Punjab is totally peaceful.
The DIG said some farmers have been rounded up, adding that there was good coordination between Punjab Police and Chandigarh Police.
SKM leaders Joginder Singh Ugrahan and Balbir Singh Rajewal, who were detained, have been released.
Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) general secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokrikalan said farmers will now not move to Chandigarh.
"To decide about the next course of action, a meeting of the SKM has been called in Ludhiana on March 7," said Kokrikalan.
Farmer leader Burj Singh Burjgill claimed that the farmers held 'dharnas' at around 18 places where they were stopped by police.
In a statement, the SKM said about 15,000 farmers started peaceful protests on the streets of Punjab.
'The massive participation in today's protest despite the arrest of 350 farmer leaders by the Punjab Police the day before have filled confidence in the rank and file of the United Kisan Movement of not only Punjab but across India,' it said.
The SKM also said that farmers did not block any road or rail as claimed by CM Mann on Tuesday.
"No law and order problem was created at the behest of farmer organisations. The public faced despair in huge traffic blocks in Chandigarh and across the state not due to the farmers' struggle but the unwarranted restrictions imposed by the Punjab Police and administration for unlawfully stopping the farmers from going to the state capital," it said.
The SKM claimed that farmer leaders including Joginder Singh Ugrahan, Mukesh Chandra Sharma and Balbir Singh Rajewal were taken into custody by police.
'SKM warns Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann that his government will not have enough jail if the farmers of Punjab decide to court arrest to protect the democratic rights of the people...,' the statement said.
The SKM has released memorandum to all the chief ministers urging them to condemn the 'Police Raj' in Punjab and adopt resolutions in the respective assembly to repeal the anti-farmer National Policy Framework on Agricultural Marketing, it said.
'The state SKM delegations will submit the memorandum to the respective chief ministers,' it added.
In Sangrur's Gharachon area, heavy police personnel were deployed to prevent farmers from heading to Chandigarh. Barricades were put up and sand laden trucks were also parked to stop farmers from going to Chandigarh.
In Moga, Krantikari Kisan Union district president Jatinder Singh said they were stopped at Ajitwal by police when they were going to Chandigarh. He claimed some of them were detained by police.
The protesters also raised slogans against the Bhagwant Mann government for not allowing them to go to Chandigarh.
In Samrala also, farmers said they were stopped by police from moving to Chandigarh.
In Patiala, a senior police official said police ensured that there was no movement of protesting farmers towards Chandigarh.
In Moga, police erected barricades at Chuhar Chak area to prevent farmers from moving towards Chandigarh. A police official said 100 police personnel were deployed at the checkpoint and that every vehicle was being checked to stop farmers.
In Sangrur, police put up checkpoints at many places, including Gharachon and Bhawanigarh. In Kharar, police personnel were deployed at Bhago Majra toll plaza.
Meanwhile, SKM leader Raminder Singh Patiala dubbed Punjab government's action against farmers as 'undeclared emergency' and said batches of farmers at several places were stopped by police and were detained.
"The Bhagwant Mann government has shown that it is rattled and tried to suppress farmers' movement. It is our constitutional right to raise our voice in Chandigarh," said Patiala.
Farmer leader Ugrahan in a video message condemned police action against farmers. He said their demands are related to Punjab.
Ugrahan on Tuesday had called upon farmer leaders to head towards Chandigarh.
He had asked farmers to sit at a vacant place if they were stopped by police on their way to Chandigarh, telling them not to block any road.
Chandigarh Police put up barricades at the Chandigarh-Mohali border points to prevent protesting farmers from entering the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana.
Security was beefed up at the entry points to Chandigarh from Mohali. Policemen checked vehicles especially buses coming from Punjab and even verified people going to Chandigarh.
Police also deployed anti-riot vehicles, ambulances and fire brigades at several places.
The intensive checking disrupted traffic from Mohali to Chandigarh at the border points, leading to a long queue of vehicles, causing inconvenience to commuters.
Commuters at Chandigarh-Zirakpur road and some other roads expressed their frustration over traffic snarls. A commuter who was coming from Ambala and going to Chandigarh said he got stuck in the traffic jam for over an hour.
Chandigarh Superintendent of Police Geetanjali Khandelwal said police personnel were deployed at all the border points.
"Barricading has been put up and strict checking is being done. We want people to face minimum inconvenience. Wherever we suspect traffic snarls we have directed traffic routes," she told reporters.
The Chandigarh administration has denied permission to farmers to hold their sit-in at Sector 34 in the city.
Meanwhile, the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha burnt the effigies of Chief Minister Mann in Amritsar over the police action against SKM leaders and not allowing farmers to go to Chandigarh.
Mann on Tuesday lashed out at several farmer bodies for resorting to protests every other day and accused them of turning Punjab into a 'state of dharnas' and causing a huge loss to it.
Mann denounced farmer organisations after talks between the Punjab government and SKM leaders to discuss farmers' demands broke down midway on Monday.
The SKM, which had led the 2020 agitation against the now-repealed three farm laws, is demanding the withdrawal of the Centre's draft of the National Policy Framework on Agricultural Marketing, a legal guarantee to MSP as per the Swaminathan Commission report, implementation of the state's agricultural policy and purchase of six crops including basmati, maize, moong, potato at MSP by the state government.
The farmer organisation is also demanding a law for debt settlement, ownership rights of land tillers ensuring canal water to every field, payment of sugarcane arrears, stopping 'forcible' acquisition of land for the Bharatmala projects, and jobs and compensation for kin of farmers who lost lives during the farmers' stir in 2020-21.
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