Chandigarh:
The planned week-long protest by Punjab farmers, set to begin today in Chandigarh, was thwarted by police, who blocked those attempting to march in from villages. Security was heightened across the state, with multiple checkpoints set up at entry points. Farmers traveling in tractor-trolleys and other vehicles were stopped en route.
Tensions escalated after Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann walked out of a meeting with farmers, putting the government and protestors on a collision course.
“The SKM warns Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann that his government will not have enough jails if Punjab’s farmers decide to court arrest to defend democratic rights,” stated the Samyukt Kisan Morcha.
The police crackdown followed the Chief Minister’s warning that protests should not cause public inconvenience, a point he had emphasized in a meeting on Monday before abruptly leaving.
Despite the resistance, the SKM—an alliance of over 30 farmers’ organizations that led the protests against farm laws—called off today’s agitation. They will convene on March 7 to determine their next steps.