By Raghbir Singh Brar
FARIDKOT
,September 7, 2026
Intensifying their ongoing protest, a batch of 21 farmers courted arrest today under the ‘Jail Bharo’ agitation initiated by the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) Ekta Sidhupur on August 29.
The farmers are demanding the implementation of their legitimate demands concerning the Land Mortgage Bank and compensation for belongings allegedly stolen during the police action that dismantled the year-long peaceful protest at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders.
Flagging off the batch of farmers, SKM (Non-Political) National Convener Jagjit Singh Dallewal and BKU Ekta Sidhupur National General Secretary Kaka Singh Kotra heavily criticized the Punjab government.
They stated that it has become a habit of the Bhagwant Mann-led government to accept farmers’ demands during meetings and announce them in the media, only to back down by not issuing the official notifications.
This continuous breach of trust, they said, forces farmers to take to the streets and launch agitations repeatedly.
The farmer leaders pointed out that the government has repeatedly agreed to their demands regarding the Land Mortgage Bank. Furthermore, the Punjab DGP, along with ministers and administrative officials, had publicly assured compensation for the goods stolen in the presence of police when the borders were cleared.
Accusing the government of adopting stalling tactics instead of implementing these accepted demands, the leaders announced that a massive gathering will be held on September 9 at the ongoing permanent protest outside the PADB Bank in Faridkot, preparations for which are in full swing.
Highlighting a severe agricultural crisis, the union leaders condemned the state’s erratic power supply. They stated that paddy crops across Punjab are on the verge of drying up as farmers are receiving only two to three hours of electricity instead of the promised eight hours, leading to massive public outcry.
The leaders debunked the state government’s claims of supplying canal water to 80 percent of Punjab’s agricultural land, calling it a “paper claim” that is miles away from the ground reality.
They argued that if 80 percent of the land was indeed receiving canal water, the electricity demand for irrigation would have dropped to 20 percent.
However, with only 20 percent of the area actually receiving canal water, the reliance on tubewells and electricity remains at 100 percent.
The union urged the government to stop making false claims, provide a continuous 10-hour power supply to save the withering crops, and halt the unscheduled power cuts that are currently tormenting the general public across the state. Several district, block, and village-level leaders and workers were present on the occasion.
