Farmers' Protest 2.0 Turn Violent: Punjab Police Detain Leaders, Clash with Demonstrators

Chandigarh (The Uttam Hindu) : In a surprise move, the Punjab Police detained two key farmer leaders, Sarwan Singh Pandher and Jagjit Singh Dallewal as part of a larger operation to clear protest sites along the Punjab-Haryana border. The detentions occurred late in the evening as the leaders were returning to the protest sites at Shambhu and Khanauri fronts. According to eyewitnesses, a large contingent of police personnel including riot control units was deployed along the border with instructions to clear the protest sites and reopen the national highway that has been closed for over a year. The police action is seen as a major escalation in the ongoing standoff between the farmer unions and the government. Pandher, a senior leader of the United Kisan Morcha (SKM), will be taken to jail while Dallewal, who has been on hunger strike for four months, will be hospitalized due to his deteriorating health. The police action has sparked widespread condemnation from farmer unions and opposition parties, who have accused the government of using strong-arm tactics to suppress the farmers' movement. The crackdown on the protest sites is seen as a major challenge to the farmer unions who have been protesting against the central government's farm laws for over a year. The unions have been demanding the repeal of the laws, which they claim will harm the interests of small farmers and benefit large corporations.

The Punjab government's decision to clear the protest sites is seen as a significant shift in its stance on the issue. Earlier, the state government had expressed sympathy with the farmers' demands and had even passed a resolution in the state assembly against the central government's farm laws. However, the government's stance appears to have hardened in recent days, with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann warning the farmer unions against blocking the national highway. The government's decision to clear the protest sites is seen as an attempt to assert its authority and restore order along the border. The farmer unions have vowed to resist the government's attempts to clear the protest sites and have called for a massive mobilization of farmers from across the state. The situation remains tense, with a large contingent of police personnel deployed along the border and farmer unions preparing for a showdown.