Punjab Police have announced that 800 of the 1,400 farmers taken into custody after the March 19 crackdown on protesters have been released and 450 more would walk free on Monday.
“800 farmers have already been released. It has been decided to release women over 60 years of age and those with medical conditions as well. Around 450 more farmers are expected to be released today (Monday),” Punjab Police inspector general (IG) Sukhchain Singh Gill posted on X.
He issued helpline number 90713-00002 on which farmers could report missing items. “Taking a strict stance on the issue of stolen belongings of farmers, Punjab Police have registered three FIRs and appointed Patiala SP Jasbir Singh as the nodal officer,” he said.
Hitting out at the police crackdown on protesters last week, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) has called upon farmers to hold demonstrations across the country on March 28. It urged all farmer organisations, including the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) and the SKM (Non-Political), “to unite against repression”.
The police arrested farmer leaders and activists, including Jagjit Singh Dallewal and Sarwan Singh Pandher, minutes after the meeting with the central delegation, led by Union agriculture minister Shivraj Chouhan, in Chandigarh. The same day, the police cleared the Shambhu and Khanauri borders for traffic by removing tents and tractor-trolleys of agitating farmers, who had blocked the highways since February 13, 2023.
{{/usCountry}}The police arrested farmer leaders and activists, including Jagjit Singh Dallewal and Sarwan Singh Pandher, minutes after the meeting with the central delegation, led by Union agriculture minister Shivraj Chouhan, in Chandigarh. The same day, the police cleared the Shambhu and Khanauri borders for traffic by removing tents and tractor-trolleys of agitating farmers, who had blocked the highways since February 13, 2023.
{{/usCountry}}Dallewal was shifted from the PWD rest house in Jalandhar cantonment to a private hospital in Patiala on Sunday. He is on an indefinite fast since November 26 last year in support of the farmers’ demands, including a legal guarantee for minimum support price for all crops.