Punjab bandh: Markets shut, highways disrupted as Qaumi Insaf Morcha seeks release of Sikh prisoners

Shops and markets remained closed while traffic was disrupted at several places across Punjab on Friday as the Qaumi Insaf Morcha observed a bandh demanding the release of lsquoBandi Singhsrsquo Sikh prisoners reported PTIPolice were deployed in large numbers across the state including Amritsar Ludhiana Mohali and Jalandhar to maintain law and order during the shutdownThe bandh was observed from 7 am to 2 pmThe term lsquoBandi Singhsrsquo refers to Sikh prisoners convicted for their involvement in militancy during the Punjab insurgency of the 1990sRoad blockades disrupt traffic across PunjabCommuters including officegoers and travellers bore the brunt of the bandh as they were caught in road blockades by Qaumi Insaf Morcha supporters and various farmersrsquo bodies at several places including Patiala Mohali and JalandharAccording to PTI at some places commuters were seen requesting protesters to allow them to proceed towards their destinations as tractortrolleys and other vehicles were parked in the middle of roads including state and national highwaysMorcha leaders said essential services including medical emergencies travel to airports examinations and wedding ceremonies were allowedProtesters staged dharnas in Jalandhar Ladhowal in Ludhiana Hoshiarpur and Ferozepur to press for the release of Sikh prisoners They also took out marches on twowheelers in several citiesShops schools remain shutShops at several places including Sangrur Ludhiana and Mohali remained shut with medicine stores allowed to remain openPrivate schools also remained closed on Friday after the Federation of Private Schools announced a holiday in view of the bandh callChandigarh Police personnel including the Rapid Action Force RAF were deployed along barricades placed at the MohaliChandigarh border pointsPatiala bus stand blockade hits public transportIn Patiala protesters led by Qaumi Insaf Morcha leader Gurcharan Singh parked vehicles on the road outside the main bus stand effectively blocking traffic in both directionsThe blockade severely affected buses operating from Patiala towards Bathinda Ferozepur Faridkot and other parts of the stateBuses leaving the bus stand were also stopped resulting in long queues of vehicles and stranded passengersThe Patiala bus stand is one of the cityrsquos major transport points and its blockade had a direct impact on traffic movement the news agency reportedFerozepur markets shut traffic disruptedIn Ferozepur shops in key commercial areas in both the city and cantonment remained shut as traders voluntarily observed the bandhA few establishments including banks that opened in the morning were later closed after protesters reached themProtesters also blocked Octroi No 7 a key exit point from the city towards Zira and Ludhiana disrupting traffic movementThey raised slogans against the government while demanding the release of Sikh prisoners who they claimed had completed their sentences long agoTraffic on several city roads remained considerably lighter than usual due to the bandhFerozepur SSP Bhupinder Singh said adequate security arrangements had been made and no untoward incidents were reported in the district as per PTIMorcha says prisoners who completed sentences should be releasedIn Patiala Gurcharan Singh said the issue of the release of lsquoBandi Singhsrsquo had been pending for a long time and the government must take a serious and decisive view of the matterHe said Sikh prisoners who had completed their sentences should not continue to remain behind bars for yearsAccording to the Morcha leader the prolonged incarceration of such prisoners had caused immense pain to their families and had become a matter of concern for the Sikh communityHe said the agitation was not against any particular community or religion but was aimed at seeking justice and the implementation of constitutional and legal rightsHoshiarpur sees widespread shutdownNormal life was also disrupted in Hoshiarpur where almost all shops business establishments banks schools and colleges remained shut on FridayGovernment and private buses also remained off the roads due to the bandhAccording to PTI protesters staged dharnas and blocked vehicular traffic at several locations in the district including Bijli Ghar Chowk Tanda Hajipur Chowk Dasuya and Adda Bhangala on the JalandharPathankot National HighwayThe bandh also caused inconvenience to pilgrims travelling to and returning from the Chintpurni temple in neighbouring Himachal Pradesh as no buses were operating from the Hoshiarpur bus standSimarjit Kaur 60 who came from Faridkot with a group of women to pay obeisance at the temple said they were unable to return home after visiting the shrineldquoWe were unaware of the bandh call and came to know about it only after reaching the Hoshiarpur bus stand As bus services were expected to resume only after 2 pm we had no option but to waitrdquo she saidTraffic diverted on NH44 near PhagwaraIn Phagwara vehicular traffic between Ludhiana and Jalandhar on National Highway44 was diverted from the local sugar mill to the PhagwaraNakodar road causing a long detour and inconvenience to commutersTraffic incharge Inspector Aman Kumar said vehicular movement was diverted after protesters from other areas blocked the national highway near an eatery falling under the Jalandhar Rural district reported PTILong queues of loaded trucks and private vehicles were seen on one side of the highway as motorists negotiated a sharp left turnMorcha seeks release parole for Sikh prisonersThe Morcha has been demanding parole for Jagtar Singh Hawara who is serving a life sentence for the assassination of then Punjab chief minister Beant Singh in 1995Besides Hawara the Morcha has been demanding the release of other lsquoBandi Singhsrsquo including Balwant Singh Rajoana and Devinderpal Singh Bhullar reported PTIRajoana is a convict in the 1995 assassination of Beant Singh while Bhullar is serving a sentence in connection with a 1993 bomb blast case in DelhiWith PTI inputs