After a day of clashes and detentions, police have agreed to release Bhana Sidhu by February 10. Demonstrators, including youth, farmers, and leaders from Malwa, attempted to reach Sangrur, leading to clashes, barricade breaches, and disruptions on the Bathinda Chandigarh National Highway. Toll plazas were rendered free at multiple locations. Farmers alleged police use of water cannons and baton charges, resulting in clashes at Badrukhan and Khedi villages in Sangrur. Despite negotiations, detentions persisted. Following discussions, an agreement was reached to release Bhana Sidhu by February 10 after legal procedures. Lakha Sidhana and Additional Director General of Police Jaskaran Singh addressed the crowd, confirming the release and assuring the immediate release of detained protesters. Former Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi was among the several politicians, farmer union leaders and social media influencers detained across Punjab on Saturday as the police tried to foil their bid to hold a dharna outside Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s home in Sangrur to demand the release of Bhana Sidhu. A social media influencer, Sidhu, who was to be released from jail on bail last month, was arrested and booked in four fresh cases, sparking allegations that he was being targeted as he was a critic of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government. AAP had received huge support on social media before forming the government in Punjab but it has now locked horns with social media influencers and YouTubers over Sidhu’s arrest. On Friday evening and Saturday morning, the Punjab Police raided the homes of many leaders, social media influencers and YouTubers. Local leaders Lakha Sidhana, Gursewak Singh Jwaharke, Parminder Singh Balianwali, Avtar Singh Mithari, Kaka Singh Kotra, Ruldu Singh Mansa, Nirbhe Singh Gilani, Babla Raisar, Bhupinder Kumar and Hardev Singh Kaka were detained. YouTubers and social media influencers Rattandeep Singh Dhaliwal, Bahadur Singh Dhillon, Parvinder Singh Jhota and Navjot Kaur Lambi were also detained. On Saturday, many groups moving towards Sangrur were stopped on the way and began live-streaming their dharnas. While Channi posted a video that showed the police blocking his car to detain him, the Punjab president of Bhartiya Kisan Union Krantikari Surjit Singh Phul started a dharna on the road after he was stopped en route. On January 29, an unprecedented crowd had turned up to support Sidhu in his native Kot Dhunna village in Barnala district. The gathering had decided to protest at the CM’s house in Sangrur on Saturday against the four fresh cases registered against Sidhu. Sidhu has more than 1 million followers on Facebook and Instagram, respectively. He speaks Punjabi in the Malawi dialect and connects with the rural youth. Active during the farmer protests, he has recently been using his popularity and reach on social media, blurring the lines between activism and blackmail. Sidhu would make video calls to immigration agents who allegedly cheated people in the name of securing visas to foreign countries, asking them to return the money of the alleged victims. Some agents would return the money fearing negative publicity from the social media influencer.
