Farmer leaders detained as Punjab clears protest sites

New Delhi: Several farmer leaders, including Sarwan Singh Pandher and Jagjit Singh Dallewal, were detained by Punjab Police in Mohali on Wednesday while heading to their protest sites after a meeting with Union ministers in Chandigarh.

The Punjab government aims to clear the Shambhu and Khanauri sites on the Punjab-Haryana border. The leaders were detained as they tried to reach these sites following a meeting with Union ministers, which ended without a resolution. Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan described the talks as positive, confirming that discussions would continue with another meeting scheduled for May 4.

The talks primarily focused on the demand for a law ensuring a minimum support price (MSP) for crops. Farmer leaders maintained that implementing an MSP guarantee law was feasible.


After the meeting, Punjab Police imposed heavy barricading in Mohali to prevent the farmers from proceeding to their destinations. Along with Pandher and Dallewal, Abhimanyu Kohar, Kaka Singh Kotra, and Manjit Singh Rai were also detained. Reports suggest a heavy police presence near Shambhu and Khanauri border points, where protests have been ongoing since February of the previous year.

Punjab Minister Harpal Singh Cheema defended the police action, saying the AAP government had supported farmers during protests against the three farm laws. However, he stated that the ongoing border blockades at Shambhu and Khanauri needed to end to enable business and employment in the region, particularly for the youth. Cheema further suggested that if farmers' demands were directed at the central government, protests should be held in Delhi rather than blocking roads in Punjab.

BJP leader and Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu strongly condemned the detention of farmer leaders and alleged the AAP government in Punjab was trying to "sabotage" talks between the Centre and farmers.

Congress MP Charanjit Channi dubbed "detention" as an "attack" on the farming sector, calling the action as unfortunate.

Shiromani Akali Dal leader Daljit S Cheema condemned the "detention". "It has exposed that Union government & Mann government are hand in glove with each other...," said Cheema in a post on X.