Chandigarh: The ‘Punjab Bandh’ called by Qaumi Insaaf Morcha demanding permanent release and parole of the captive Singhs who have completed their prescribed legal sentence is having a wide impact across the state. This seven-hour symbolic bandh, which started at 7 am on Friday, will remain in effect till 2 pm. Since early morning, the pace of business and public activities slowed down in different districts of the state. Main markets, private educational institutions, commercial establishments and roads have become completely silent. Due to halt in operation of government and private buses, common travelers going to far away places are facing a lot of problems. In the same sequence, members of Sikh Insaaf Morcha also stopped the movement of vehicles in Paragpur located on Jalandhar-Ludhiana Highway.
Protest from Jalandhar to Amritsar
As soon as the bandh call started, supporters of Qaumi Insaaf Morcha and allied Sikh organizations turned to the major intersections and national highways of the state. The agitators completely stopped the traffic by staging a dharna in the middle of the road at the very busy Guru Nanak Mission Chowk in Jalandhar.
The shutters of most petrol pumps in Amritsar were pulled down since morning, while students and supporters sat on strike at the main entrance of Guru Nanak Dev University.
What are the main demands of the agitators?
The main roots of this radical movement are related to the release of those Sikh prisoners who have been in jail for decades, whose sentence period has legally ended. The Morcha demands that the captive Singhs should be released immediately and Jagattar Singh Hawara should be given parole without any delay. In fact, on the occasion of Independence Day on August 15, there was a heated clash between the protesting agitators and the police on the Chandigarh border. During that time, Qaumi Insaaf Morcha announced this statewide bandh after the police used force and registered cases against many protesters. This bandh has received open support from many major religious and social organizations of Punjab including Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC). On the other hand, Vice President of Punjab Cow Seva Commission, Precious Bhagat, expressed his opposition to this chakka jam and said that he is not against the parole of Hawara, but by blocking the roads in this way, the common devotees and daily commuters have to face unnecessary trouble.
Caution advised for travelers
Giving relief to the general public amid the chaos, the organizers have kept all emergency services completely free from the bandh. Hospitals, ambulances, medicine shops, passengers going to the airport, students appearing for examinations and vehicles related to marriage ceremonies are being given passage without any restriction. The police administration has deployed additional forces in sensitive areas to deal with any untoward incident. Passengers traveling on the routes containing seven major protest sites in and around Bathinda have been advised to exercise special caution. If you are leaving home today for some important work, then leave only after checking the status of alternative routes for long distance travel.