Cops park tractors across roads to nix protest

The state police on Wednesday parked tractors and trucks across roads leading to Chandigarh to prevent farmers from reaching the state capital for their scheduled week-long sit-in.

According to officials, the police here erected at least a dozen check-posts on different routes.

“We are checking vehicles and there are strict instructions not to allow farmers move towards Chandigarh,” said a police officer.

“We have parked tractors and trucks on roads to block the movement of farmers. In Rajpura, traffic snarls were witnessed for some time. Commuters going towards Chandigarh and Mohali were allowed to proceed only after proper checking”, said another officer.

A police officer said they detained some farmers who wanted to travel in their vehicles to Mohali. “Later, they were asked to head back to their villages in Patran,” said a policeman deployed on the Patiala-Chandigarh highway near Jansua village.

Meanwhile, commuters faced traffic snarls on their way to Chandigarh. “I had an important case hearing in the High Court and was required to meet my lawyer by lunch time. I do not think I will be able to reach there even by 4 pm. I had started from Bhawanigarh around 11 am,” said Khushpreet Singh, a Sangrur resident.

Manpreet Kaur, a Barnala resident who was traveling with five members of her family to attend a marriage function in New Chandigarh, said their three vehicles were caught in a traffic jam.

“There was rush at a police naka when we entered Patiala. They checked our vehicles too,” said Manpreet Kaur.

One-day fast in solidarity with farm leader Dallewal

Muktsar: To express solidarity with farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, whose ongoing indefinite fast completed 100 days on Wednesday, nearly 100 farmers from the Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta-Sidhupur) staged a protest outside the district administrative complex.

Some farmers claimed they were stopped at Warring village and Bathinda chowk in Malout town while attempting to move towards Chandigarh for their scheduled protest.