Chandigarh, 30 Sec. 2024:On Monday, a significant disruption gripped the Doaba region of Punjab as farmers staged a statewide bandh to demand a legal guarantee for minimum support prices (MSP) for their crops. The bandh, called by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, led to the suspension of both bus and train services, blocking crucial national and state highways and severely affecting daily commutes.
Traffic across many areas came to a standstill, while shops and businesses in Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Hoshiarpur, and Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar districts remained shut in support of the protest.
The bandh lasted from 7 am to 4 pm, and its impact was seen throughout Punjab. Farmers, voicing discontent over the central government’s failure to respond to their demands for MSP guarantees, blocked key highways and other strategic locations.
In Jalandhar, five main protest sites were established, including the Dhanowali railway crossing and areas near Jang-e-Azadi, with others on major roads in Phillaur, Nakodar, and Bhogpur. In Kapurthala, protestors closed the national highway at Phagwara and near the Dhareri Jattan toll plaza, which caused disruption on the Patiala-Chandigarh route.
In Hoshiarpur, farmers blocked entry points into the city and staged sit-ins. Meanwhile, protests continued in Phagwara, where farmers gathered near the Sugarmill crossing and Behram toll plaza, cutting off access to Nakodar, Hoshiarpur, and Nawanshahr.
Amritsar, Bathinda, and other locations followed suit, with farmers organizing protests and causing the closure of grain markets across several towns. Essential services like emergency vehicles were allowed passage, as assured by farm leaders. Sarwan Singh Pandher, a farmer leader in Amritsar, noted, “We have made sure that any emergency travel needs, whether to the airport or for urgent events, will continue without obstruction.”
While local traffic was severely impacted, the bandh’s ripple effect spread to neighboring Haryana. Daily commuters from Ambala to cities like Chandigarh, Mohali, and Patiala faced extensive delays and rerouted buses. Sangeeta, a daily commuter to Zirakpur, shared her struggle, recounting the overcrowding of buses due to the disruption. Outsiders attending coaching institutes in Chandigarh also found it difficult to reach their classes.
Simultaneously, 70-year-old farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal marked the 35th day of his hunger strike, refusing medical help. Dallewal’s protest has become a symbol of the farmers’ ongoing struggle for MSP guarantees and other demands such as debt waivers and pension schemes. He remains steadfast, insisting he will not break his fast until the government addresses these issues.
Farmers have continued to stage protests at key border points between Punjab and Haryana since February 13. Despite several failed attempts to march to Delhi, including three foot marches in early December, the farmers continue their demonstrations. The Punjab government has been tasked by the Supreme Court with engaging Dallewal by December 31, or face further measures, including possibly involving federal support for a hospital transfer.
Along with their demands for MSP assurances, farmers are also calling for a complete debt waiver, pension benefits for agricultural workers, halting any rise in electricity charges, the dismissal of police cases against protestors, and justice for victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence.
