Shops and markets remained closed, while traffic was disrupted at several places across Punjab on Friday as the Qaumi Insaf Morcha observed a bandh demanding the release of ‘Bandi Singhs’ (Sikh prisoners), reported PTI.
Police were deployed in large numbers across the state, including Amritsar, Ludhiana, Mohali and Jalandhar, to maintain law and order during the shutdown.
The bandh was observed from 7 am to 2 pm.
The term ‘Bandi Singhs’ refers to Sikh prisoners convicted for their involvement in militancy during the Punjab insurgency of the 1990s.
Road blockades disrupt traffic across Punjab
Commuters, including office-goers and travellers, bore the brunt of the bandh as they were caught in road blockades by Qaumi Insaf Morcha supporters and various farmers’ bodies at several places, including Patiala, Mohali and Jalandhar.
According to PTI, at some places, commuters were seen requesting protesters to allow them to proceed towards their destinations as tractor-trolleys and other vehicles were parked in the middle of roads, including state and national highways.
Morcha leaders said essential services, including medical emergencies, travel to airports, examinations and wedding ceremonies, were allowed.
Protesters staged dharnas in Jalandhar, Ladhowal in Ludhiana, Hoshiarpur and Ferozepur to press for the release of Sikh prisoners. They also took out marches on two-wheelers in several cities.
Shops, schools remain shut
Shops at several places, including Sangrur, Ludhiana and Mohali, remained shut, with medicine stores allowed to remain open.
Private schools also remained closed on Friday after the Federation of Private Schools announced a holiday in view of the bandh call.
Chandigarh Police personnel, including the Rapid Action Force (RAF), were deployed along barricades placed at the Mohali-Chandigarh border points.
Patiala bus stand blockade hits public transport
In Patiala, protesters led by Qaumi Insaf Morcha leader Gurcharan Singh parked vehicles on the road outside the main bus stand, effectively blocking traffic in both directions.
The blockade severely affected buses operating from Patiala towards Bathinda, Ferozepur, Faridkot and other parts of the state.
Buses leaving the bus stand were also stopped, resulting in long queues of vehicles and stranded passengers.
The Patiala bus stand is one of the city’s major transport points, and its blockade had a direct impact on traffic movement, the news agency reported.
Ferozepur markets shut, traffic disrupted
In Ferozepur, shops in key commercial areas in both the city and cantonment remained shut as traders voluntarily observed the bandh.
A few establishments, including banks, that opened in the morning were later closed after protesters reached them.
Protesters also blocked Octroi No. 7, a key exit point from the city towards Zira and Ludhiana, disrupting traffic movement.
They raised slogans against the government while demanding the release of Sikh prisoners who, they claimed, had completed their sentences long ago.
Traffic on several city roads remained considerably lighter than usual due to the bandh.
Ferozepur SSP Bhupinder Singh said adequate security arrangements had been made and no untoward incidents were reported in the district, as per PTI.
Morcha says prisoners who completed sentences should be released
In Patiala, Gurcharan Singh said the issue of the release of ‘Bandi Singhs’ had been pending for a long time and the government must take a serious and decisive view of the matter.
He said Sikh prisoners who had completed their sentences should not continue to remain behind bars for years.
According to the Morcha leader, the prolonged incarceration of such prisoners had caused immense pain to their families and had become a matter of concern for the Sikh community.
He said the agitation was not against any particular community or religion but was aimed at seeking justice and the implementation of constitutional and legal rights.
Hoshiarpur sees widespread shutdown
Normal life was also disrupted in Hoshiarpur, where almost all shops, business establishments, banks, schools and colleges remained shut on Friday.
Government and private buses also remained off the roads due to the bandh.
According to PTI, protesters staged dharnas and blocked vehicular traffic at several locations in the district, including Bijli Ghar Chowk, Tanda, Hajipur Chowk, Dasuya and Adda Bhangala on the Jalandhar-Pathankot National Highway.
The bandh also caused inconvenience to pilgrims travelling to and returning from the Chintpurni temple in neighbouring Himachal Pradesh, as no buses were operating from the Hoshiarpur bus stand.
Simarjit Kaur, 60, who came from Faridkot with a group of women to pay obeisance at the temple, said they were unable to return home after visiting the shrine.
“We were unaware of the bandh call and came to know about it only after reaching the Hoshiarpur bus stand. As bus services were expected to resume only after 2 pm, we had no option but to wait,” she said.
Traffic diverted on NH-44 near Phagwara
In Phagwara, vehicular traffic between Ludhiana and Jalandhar on National Highway-44 was diverted from the local sugar mill to the Phagwara-Nakodar road, causing a long detour and inconvenience to commuters.
Traffic in-charge Inspector Aman Kumar said vehicular movement was diverted after protesters from other areas blocked the national highway near an eatery falling under the Jalandhar Rural district, reported PTI.
Long queues of loaded trucks and private vehicles were seen on one side of the highway as motorists negotiated a sharp left turn.
Morcha seeks release, parole for Sikh prisoners
The Morcha has been demanding parole for Jagtar Singh Hawara, who is serving a life sentence for the assassination of then Punjab chief minister Beant Singh in 1995.
Besides Hawara, the Morcha has been demanding the release of other ‘Bandi Singhs’, including Balwant Singh Rajoana and Devinderpal Singh Bhullar, reported PTI.
Rajoana is a convict in the 1995 assassination of Beant Singh, while Bhullar is serving a sentence in connection with a 1993 bomb blast case in Delhi.
(With PTI inputs)
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