Punjab witnessed tense scenes on Thursday as farmers prepared for the Rail Roko movement, with police stopping protestors at several points. In Amritsar, farmers marching towards railway tracks were intercepted by the police, triggering loud slogans against the administration. Farmers accused the government of suppressing their peaceful protest.
The situation was equally intense in Sangrur, where police conducted a major crackdown ahead of the agitation. Nearly 30 farmer leaders, including BKU Ekta Azad’s working state president Jaswinder Longowal, were detained. Others taken into custody include Paramjit Singh Medewas, Sant Ram Chajli, Balwinder Singh, Makkhan Singh, Happy Namol, Hardeep Singh, Baldev Singh, Raj Singh and Gurcharan Singh. All have been placed under preventive detention across different police stations.
Following the arrests, the union expressed strong resentment. Farmer leader Jasveer Singh said the government’s “high-handedness” would be strongly resisted. He asserted that farmers would try to reach the railway tracks “at any cost” to register their protest.
With the possibility of disruption to rail services, security has been heightened across districts. Police personnel have been deployed at sensitive points, and surveillance has been increased to prevent gatherings near railway lines.
