A statewide Rail Roko protest called by farmer organisations on Friday led to significant train disruptions across Punjab. The agitation, held from 1 pm to 3 pm by the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) and allied unions, aimed to press for key demands including the repeal of the Electricity Amendment Bill-2025, a legal guarantee on MSP, and the withdrawal of prepaid smart meters. Heavy police deployment and preventive detentions were carried out to maintain order at multiple locations.
In Kapurthala district, hundreds of members of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangarash Committee, led by Sarwan Singh Baupur, occupied tracks near Dadwindi village, delaying several trains until police intervened. Another group managed to block tracks at Malsian, causing brief interruptions to both passenger and freight services, though major routes such as Jalandhar Cantt station remained operational due to timely police action.
Several farmer leaders were detained to prevent escalation. BKU (Doaba) president Manjit Singh Rai and around ten supporters were taken into custody after attempting a sit-in inside Jalandhar Cantt station. In Phagwara, BKU (Doaba) leaders Kulwinder Singh Athouli and Satnam Singh Sahni were placed under house arrest as a precaution.
Despite tense stand-offs, the protest remained largely peaceful and normal train operations resumed after 3 pm. Farmer organisations have announced further demonstrations, including protests against prepaid smart meters on December 10, sit-ins at Deputy Commissioner offices on December 17–18, and a statewide Rail Roko on December 19 if their demands are not met.
