Hundreds of farmers detained by Punjab Police during protest march to Chandigarh

Hundreds of farmers were detained by the Punjab Police on Wednesday as they attempted to march toward Chandigarh for a week-long protest, The Indian Express reported.

The farmers, part of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha, were met with heavy security and barricades at over 25 locations across the state.

“Wherever any farmer came out [on roads], police of that area stopped them,” Punjab Police Deputy Inspector General HS Bhullar was quoted as saying by PTI.

The farmers burned effigies of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and the Aam Aadmi Party-led state government to express their frustration at not being allowed to march to the state capital, The Hindu reported.

“We have burnt effigies of the Mann Government in Amritsar for stopping the farmers’ march to Chandigarh,” a farmer leader told the newspaper. “The AAP Government is suppressing our democratic right to protest. Farmers are being stopped from protesting in the national capital, and also stopped from protesting in the state capital. The chief minister is working at the behest of the Centre.”

Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher, along with other farmers, burnt an effigy of CM Bhagwant Mann at Golden Gate in Amritsar to protest against the arrests of Punjab farmer leaders by the Punjab Police and stopping them from marching to… pic.twitter.com/1eBIP7SOez— Gagandeep Singh (@Gagan4344)...

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