KMM says over 600 members detained, placed under house arrest; rail roko at 21 places in Punjab

“The police left our houses only after 3 pm, and even released several leaders from police stations after 3 pm,” Pandher said.

He added that despite the police crackdown, the rail roko took place at nearly 21 locations across Punjab, and more reports were still being compiled.

“I had to evade house arrest, and then reach the Devidaspura railway track in Amritsar to observe the rail roko from 1 pm to 3.40 pm along with other KMM members,” Pandher said.

He said the rail blockade was held in the Dhariwal area of Gurdaspur and in Batala for about 1.5 hours, for two hours each at two locations in Tarn Taran and five places in Ferozepur, for two hours in Nabha, for 1.5 hours in Shahkot in Jalandhar, and for an hour in Kapurthala.

The blockade was also held for about 40 minutes in Pathankot before farmers were rounded up, for nearly an hour at Dagru village and another place in Moga, and outside the Shambhu railway station in Patiala, where, however, the main track was not disturbed, and at one location at Bathinda. In Mansa, he said, they sat outside the railway station.

“We appeal to the Punjab Chief Minister to clearly state the government’s stand on the draft Electricity Amendment Bill, 2025, and our other demands. Otherwise, our next phase of protest will be held on December 16 and 17 outside the offices of deputy commissioners across the state.”

‘Government resorted to use of force’

Earlier in the day, KMM constituent BKU Ekta Azad’s state president, Jaswinder Singh Longowal, along with other members, was detained at a police station in Sangrur.

Tejveer Singh, spokesperson of the BKU Shaheed Bhagat Singh Union, a constituent of KMM, said, “Raids have been conducted at more than 100 places in Punjab. Our KMM leaders, Makhan Singh Gill in Mohali, Kulwant Singh Behramke in Moga, Chamkaur Singh Usmaniwala in Ferozepur, and several others are under house arrest.”

Pandher alleged that the crackdown began on Thursday night itself.

“Raids were carried out at the homes of several farmer leaders in districts including Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Ludhiana, Rupnagar and Patiala. During the two-hour rail blockade, nearly 80 per cent of train tracks were anyway not scheduled to have any train movement, and only a few trains on main routes could have been affected. Despite this, the Bhagwant Mann government has resorted to the use of force,” Pandher said.

According to sources, the police reached the house of Pandher as well in Amritsar village, but he was not at home.

Avtar Singh Dharam Singh Wala, press secretary of the KMM from Moga, said the police arrived at his house at 5 am Friday. “Am I a criminal? This is not done. We are protesting against a draft Electricity Amendment Bill of the Union government that can lead to privatisation of the electricity board, about which the government itself is silent, and now they are not even allowing us to protest,” he said.

“On one hand, the government is seeking votes in elections, and on the other hand, it is using repression against farmers, labourers and the general public who are protesting against the Centre’s move to privatise public sector institutions,” Pandher added.

The KMM appealed to everyone to strongly condemn the alleged repressive actions and urged the people of Punjab to come forward in large numbers to participate in the peaceful rail blockade.

“We appeal to all democratic and mass organisations to strongly condemn this repressive attitude and urge the people of Punjab to come forward in large numbers against this oppression and carry out their peaceful rail blockade movement with full force,” Pandher said.